Frozen in Fear: The Forty Ninth Hunger Games
by DryBonesKing
Summary: The Gamemakers have outdone themselves this time. This year's twenty four tributes better be ready. They are about to come face to face with an arena filled with traps, twists, and surprises that will leave them frozen in fear.
1. Prologue: Frozen in Fear

**Ephidel Limstella's POV (Head Gamemaker – 49th Hunger Games)**

It was that time of the year again. All of the gamemakers were stuffed in the same, bland room in President Snow's estate and required to rewatch the previous Hunger Games. I am no stranger to this: I've been working as a gamemaker for the past seven years. This year was different though.

I am the Head Gamemaker now. I have the power in the games, and it feels great!

When the tape of the forty-eighth hunger games comes on, I start to zone it out. I remember watching it, thoroughly annoyed. I had attempted to get the position of head gamemaker last year but the job was stolen by an idiot co-worker of mine named Axel Marauder. I had watched the games live, thinking how I could have done so much better. He did one of those stereotypical, overrated forest arenas. They've been overdone in previous years. The mutts and traps were already used in previous games or were designed poorly. There was nothing special about his arena. Yet for some reason everyone loved it!

He got lucky with the tributes. The Capitol seemed to fall hard for the District Two male, a colossal boy named Brutus. As if by 'fate,' Brutus ended up lasting the entire Games and won in an 'epic' final showdown with his district partner. The fans loved it and the games solely because their favorite won. I didn't enjoy it at all. The ending was obvious straight from the beginning. Nothing was surprising about the games.

I start breathing in and out. Thinking about the previous games annoys me, but it's all in the past. Axel ended up quitting his job after one year and disappeared. No one knows why but I don't care. All it means is that I am now in control in my rightful place of power! I am going to make sure the previous games are long forgotten after what I create!

I stop zoning out and look at the screen. The bloodbath from last year is currently being played. I see a couple of the newer gamemakers watching attentively. They seem as if they are enjoying it! Hmph! They don't understand what true entertainment is!

I'm already annoyed by the other gamemakers and the games and I've only been paying attention for a few minutes. I can't stand to watch the rest of the games with them! I storm out of the room. The other gamemakers don't even notice. There too busy watching the 'fan-favorite' forty-eighth Hunger Games!

I intend on heading back to my estate when I get stopped on my way out. President Snow is there right by the door. It looks as though he was expecting me. I immediately tense up. The President is the one person I can never get a good read on and I know just how powerful he is.

"Ah Ephidel! Pleasure seeing you here!" he greets me in a curt tone. "But may I ask why you are not with the other gamemakers? Should you not be watching the previous games and taking notes?"

If this was any other person, I would scoff in response but this is our president. I can be truthful but I must be polite in the process.

"I couldn't stand watching it. Last years games were boring and overrated. I won't learn anything from watching it. I'm basing the arena on the exact opposite of last year's standards."

President Snow gives me a look. I can feel my body freezing up as his look intensifies.

"I happened to enjoy last year's games very much. I hope this implies that you are designing an arena of an even grander scale than last year?" he asks.

I just can not read his expression. Is he amused? Is he doubtful? I need to word everything carefully. I need him to know that I am being serious, that I will not fail. I will be creating a better Hunger Games than the previous year and I need to let him understand that.

"I plan to do just that! I will be creating the greatest Hunger Games the Capitol has ever seen, even in comparison to the previous quarter quell!" I proclaim.

The president gives me that look again. I can feel my breathing getting shorter. How does this man have so much power over me? It feels as if that if I say one word wrong that I am going to die.

"Most interesting!" President Snow finally says. I breathe a sigh of relief, only to hear him continue. "I trust you will live up to these high expectations you set. Surely you know that no one, including myself, likes being disappointed."

That chilling feeling returns even worse than before. I can feel the pressure the president is putting on me. I start wondering if Axel Marauder ended up 'disappointing' our current president. I start wondering if his early retirement after only one year of being head gamemaker and his disappearance was caused by this man…caused by any disappointment he may have caused...

It dawns on me that my life is now in danger. I must create the greatest Hunger Games Panem has ever seen.

"You will not be disappointed!" I assure him. "I will make sure these games are remembered in the years to come! Nothing will be able to match up to this year's games!"

President Snow merely nods at my words. "I'll take your word for it Ephidel. I look forward to seeing your work."

With a polite bow, the president walks off. Probably to go check up on the other gamemakers watching last year's games.

The cold spell from talking to him is still affecting me. I have never felt like that before. So weak. So powerless. The overall feeling of dread is unparalleled. I know then and there that I can't mess up. These games must be perfect!

As I'm thinking this, an idea comes into my head. It surfaced from the feeling I had obtained: the cold spell that went over my body when talking to the president. Maybe…yes! I got it! I know exactly how this year's Hunger Games will go!

"You have nothing to fear President Snow!" I mumble to myself confidently as I walk out of his manor. "I have everything planned! And after I'm done with the arena, this year's tributes will be frozen in fear!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hello everybody! Let's get straight to business! I'm extremely excited to start this! My turn at writing an SYOT. I have read quite a few games and I know exactly how to write these. I have a lot of plans for this and I'm certain you will all be pleased with what I intend to do during the Games!<strong>

**Now, I open the field to you all! **

**SYOT TRIBUTE FORM**

**Name: **

**Nickname (if necessary): **

**Gender:**

**Age: **

**District (please list top three, just in case):**

**Appearance/Physical Characteristics (be as descriptive as possible: remember, not everyone is a supermodel though):**

**Personality (again, be as descriptive as possible):**

**Family/Friend Information (list names, age, and relation with tribute):**

**History/Background (can be as long or as short as you want: remember though, not every person has a tragic background):**

**Reaped or Volunteered:**

**Reaction to Reaping or Reason for Volunteering:**

**District Token:**

**Alliances:**

**Romance:**

**Strengths (Maximum Five)**

**Weaknesses (Minimum Three)**

**Fears (Minimum One)**

**Weapon of Preference:**

**Strategy in the Arena:**

**Preferred Way to Die (no guarantees but will be taken into consideration):**

**That's the form! PM me your characters so that way they can come as a surprise to readers! Please remember that I need all types of characters! I need the brutish careers, the innocent reaped victims, the strong silent type, the intelligent bookworm, etc. I need all types of tributes! I'm also asking a couple of friends in real life for ideas for tributes, so I hope to not need to ask you all for more than one tribute! **

**I'm uncertain on if I should do a sponsoring system? Would you all want one? I do know that if you all review, I may be more kind to your favorites or the tribute you made!**

**I'll end this now! Send me your tributes as soon as possible! I'm excited and I can't wait to start this thing! I'll see you all later! May the odds be ever in your favor…**


	2. Tribute List

District 1 Male: Celsius Potens (A friend) - 17

District 1 Female: Audrina Prescott (Young-Fearless-Motivated) - 15

District 2 Male: Cannon Estate (yahbrahchill) - 17

District 2 Female: Inara Abusi (A friend) - 17

District 3 Male: Benedict Letat (A friend) - 16

District 3 Female: Lenora Lemings (EbunnyLove) - 16

District 4 Male: Kai Seagray (mountainman91) - 18

District 4 Female: Aqua West (NeddyJenkins) - 16

District 5 Male: Adam Assange (A friend) - 13

District 5 Female: Viz Candela (DuHSPaZZiNGFeL) -12

District 6 Male: Topovska Hrana (A friend) - 14

District 6 Female: Sermina Dean (ToxicatedRose) - 14

District 7 Male: Baroque "Brock" Role (Golden Warrior Eagle) - 17

District 7 Female: Akira Himura (A friend) - 18

District 8 Male: Corbin Devereux (guitargirl1414) - 14

District 8 Female: Faith Cale (Sora7) - 16

District 9 Male: Iago Latimer (Don Pianta) - 17

District 9 Female: Lily Walden (A friend) - 16

District 10 Male: Robert "Big Bob" Zorn (A friend) - 15

District 10 Female: Ellie Moon (Sakura Minami) - 15

District 11 Male: Nelson Sieg (Makemyday95) - 17

District 11 Female: Jamor "Jay" Lovet (newmew4you) - 12

District 12 Male: Damien Todd (A friend) - 14

District 12 Female: Roshan Alicia Davis (bestgyrl) - 13

* * *

><p><strong>Here are all the tributes! I have all of them! So the SYOT is closed. I've also decided how I am going to handle the individual reapingjustice building/train scenes. I hope you enjoy what I have planed! :)**

**I'll be updating the story as often as possible! Please let me know about what you think! I hope you all enjoy :) Make sure to give me any criticism or tips on improvement you can! Thanks! :)**


	3. The Reapings

**Aqua West's POV – District 4**

I smirk as I watch the last knife I threw make direct contact with the head of a dummy. If that were a real person, they would be dead. I can't help but think that is how killing a person feels like: just stabbing a practice dummy. I know it will never be that simple but that's how I will need to see it. The games are about to start after all.

I turn my head to look into the blue eyes of Beck Rhydon, my trainer and best friend. He's been helping me prepare for the games ever since I signed up for his classes. He won't sugarcoat my skills or his opinion on them. He will tell me exactly how good I am and how he thinks I will do in the games. Today, on the day of the Reapings, his opinion means more than it ever has.

I wait expectantly for him to give me his verdict. He continues to stare at me for a few seconds before he starts to smile.

"Yep, I think you have what it takes. You can definitely win." he states.

I can feel my smirk getting wider. I already had a good feeling that I had what it takes to win the games but his words only make me more confident. He knows the qualities of a victor better than anyone else since he won the games two years ago. If he sees these qualities in me, then who am I to doubt my chances?

"You'll probably be able to volunteer without any competition as well! I don't think anyone else is volunteering this year." he adds darkly, a frown creeping on his face.

I nod in response. I know what he is referring to. Last year, both district four tributes died in the most gruesome manners possible. They lasted a while in the games, all the way up to the career breakup at the final ten, but their deaths shocked the whole district. They were without a doubt the most bloody and disturbing deaths of last year and potentially in the history of the Hunger Games itself. Their corpses weren't even recognizable when they were brought back to the district to be buried. With such events still vividly in the minds of most of district four, volunteers aren't going to be likely.

Luckily for whoever gets reaped today, I'm not worried about the games. I won't end up like last year's tributes. I intend to win.

"I won't end up like them. I'm going to win." I tell Beck exactly what I am thinking.

He nods in agreement, his smile back. After all the intense training he has put me through in the past year and a half, he has to know that I am ready. He knows it and I know it.

He opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by the sound of a door opening. My mother, a rather tough and intimidating woman, comes running in. She looks at us for a few seconds before she points to clock on the wall in the room.

"Aqua, haven't you been watching the time? The Reaping starts in a few minutes!" she states hastily.

My eyes widen in realization while I mentally scold myself. I can't be late! What if I miss my opportunity to volunteer?

"No need to worry Mrs. West. The town square isn't too far from my training center." Beck reports to her. "Besides, we were just getting some last minute training in. She's going to be a victor, no doubt about it."

My mother nods in response before she turns to me with a confident smile. It's not like the one I had on my face nor like the one Beck has at times. She realizes that I can win and how much it will benefit her to have a victor for a daughter. She's been pushing me to train and volunteering for awhile now. She looks at me as if I am a winning lottery ticket, about to change her life forever.

Whatever, I'm not doing this for her. I am going to win for myself.

"You guys should probably still head out though. Aqua, I will see you in the Justice Building in a little while then. Good luck." she tells me before walking out.

Beck and I wait for a few seconds to make sure she is gone. When we realize she is, he opens his mouth first.

"I don't like her." he tells me.

I know this. Beck lets me know pretty much anything on his mind and his opinion on my mother is not a sensitive subject. While I do share some of his views on her, I have to disagree with him here. She is still my mother who I love. I just can't agree with him on this.

"She is right though. We should be heading out. We can't be late for my volunteering!" I tell him with a laugh.

He responds back with a laugh. "Wouldn't think of missing it! Come on, let's go!"

The two of us hurry out of his training center and into the salty air of district four. We start to run down the streets and corner of the district in a race of sorts as we make our way to the town square.

By the time we reach the square, the mayor, our escort, and the previous victors of our district are getting up on the stage in the square. We made it just in time! Beck gives me a wave before he hurries on stage to join the others.

The mayor gives the same speech he's given each year about Panem and the Hunger Games. I zone out the ceremony until I see our escort, a pudgy green-haired man named Chimera, comes up to announce the female tribute. He picks out a name and reads it immediately.

"Jessie Baker!" he reads.

A girl from the fifteen section starts walking forward, close to tears. She doesn't strike me as the type to volunteer and seems even more nervous probably after watching last year's games. She knows no one will volunteer for her and she knows what will happen to her. Seeing her makes me feel bad for a second but I realize she will be fine in the end. She isn't going in to the games after all. I am.

When she is finally up on stage, Chimera is introducing himself. After he gets acquainted to her, he asks the question I've been waiting for.

"Are there any volunteers?" he asks everyone.

Normally, there would be a couple of people trying to reach the stage and be the volunteer for the games. Not this year though. Not after what happened to last year's tributes. I actually smirk, knowing I am going to have no competition for my position in the games.

"I volunteer!" I proclaim as I walk closer to the stage.

All eyes are on me as I walk to the stage. Many eyes are staring at me in surprise and some with pity. No doubt everyone thinks I am going to die just like last years tributes. Psh! I am going to show them that I am coming home a victor!

When I walk up stage, Jessie Baker is sent back down. She looks at me, wiping away her tears and whispers "thank you" to me. I feel glad to have helped her but I know I am not doing this for her. I am doing this for myself. I turn my attention to Beck, who is amongst the other victors. He is grinning proudly at me. He seems to be the only person here who knows that I am going to win.

"And what is your name?" Chimera asks me excitedly. He's obviously happy that we had a volunteer.

"I'm Aqua West, the victor of the forty-ninth hunger games!" I introduce myself to him and all of Panem. I hope they all see me and remember me. I am Aqua West, the victor for this year.

* * *

><p><strong>Damien Todd's POV – District 12<strong>

"Roshan Alicia Davis!"

I don't recognize the name that was called out but a couple of the people around me do. I look over and see a girl walking up from the thirteen section. She has jet black hair and skin that looks like milk chocolate. She's much shorter than any other girl from her age group. I think I've seen her from school. I'm not one hundred percent for certain, but I do know that she only looks mildly surprised. It seems as if she knew she was going to get reaped or something. Probably from taking tesserae or something.

I don't say anything as I just watch her walk up to the front. The games are not right. They are not fair. The games are just instruments to keep us districts in line and kill off the ancestors of those who rebelled.

_Kill off_. I can't help but shudder at the thought of death. The idea of dying in the arena is not something I'm too keen on. I've heard about what my mother looked like when she died when I was born. I've heard the rumors about my father's disappearance in the mines and about how he died. Death is just not my thing and the Hunger Games are just one gigantic death machine. Yeah, the idea of being sent into them does not appeal to me at all…

_It doesn't matter though! Jay wasn't reaped! Neither will you!_ I repeat to myself. My brother made it through all his years of reapings and he was never reaped. This eases my mind. Yeah, I won't be reaped. Everything will end up just fine. I'll return home tonight, wait for him to get back from the mines, and complain to him about the games and how two other innocent kids were sent off to die.

"Who do you think it's going to be?" a kid standing next to me mumbles to me as we watch our escort, the silver giant named Adonis, starts reaching in for a male tribute.

"No clue, but I have a feeling he's going to mispronounce their name. That escort's pretty stupid!" I tell him with a laugh

The kid laughs back. My joke actually makes him feel better. That's why I always love joking around with other people. Laughter and humor tends to make everything better. People tend to forget their hardships when they laugh.

I see Adonis finally pick a piece of paper and he holds it up to read. I turn to the kid I was just talking to and prepare to imitate the idiot's stupid voice and accent.

"Damien Todd!" he reads.

I start saying the name when I realize that he just said my name. _My name!_ But that means…

I stand their in silence. The group around me just stares at me. I'm a pretty social person so a lot of them know me. They feel bad for me. I feel bad for me! I can't…no…I can't die! No. I can't!

Suddenly, I start to laugh. Humor makes everything better. It always does. I try to entertain myself to make myself laugh and make myself feel better in the process. I start walking forward the square and suddenly a smirk starts forming on my face. I start feeling more comfortable and at ease with each step I take. With each step, I keep thinking about the games. _I got this._ I'm a smart guy. I've lived in poverty in district twelve, in some of the harshest conditions in Panem. I'm relatively likable and could get along with people. Yeah, I think I can win the games. No, I won't be dying.

With each step, my confidence grows and so does my laughter. Anyone watching may think I'm crazy but I know the truth. I am laughing at death. It won't be claiming me! I will win these games and come back to my brother!

* * *

><p><strong>Sermina Dean's POV – District 6<strong>

My parents escort me down to the town square for the reapings. I'm bringing along a math textbook of my mother's to study while I wait for the ceremony to end. I hope to have memorized the next set of formulas by the time the ceremony is done. It's not like I won't miss anything important. I already memorized the mayor's speech from the previous two years. It's always the same thing. It'd be much better for me to just read and learn my formulas.

By the time we arrive at the square, my parents let go of me. They each give me a hug and a kiss.

"We'll be here watching the reapings and be here to pick you up when they are done. Make sure to meet us here okay?" my father tells me.

"Yes dad!" I tell him with a smile. "Mom, make sure to test me on the formulas in your book when we get back home! I think I almost have them!"

My mother chuckles. She is a math tutor at the university in district six and is very interested in me learning math. "Of course I will! I expect you to know them better than I do myself!"

They give me one last kiss before I go off into the square. I join the other girls in the fourteen section and just sit down and start reading. A couple of the girls around me look at me and start mumbling and whispering to themselves. I really don't care though. What's weird about studying math?

Come to think of it, I really don't care about whatever people think of me. I don't really do well with people. My parents and my advisers say it's because of my autism but I've been attending help sessions and have been working on social skills. I even made a best friend, in the form of another autistic kid named Aen. Other than him and my parents though, I don't connect really well with anyone. Maybe I never will. I don't really care to anyway, even though the advisers at the help sessions want me to.

I continue to study the math textbook and the chapter I'm on. Trigonometry. I look over the formulas that I know again to make sure I have them right before I move on to the newer ones: ones that I do not know yet and will know soon!

I'm very focused when I study and I tend to zone everything out. Naturally I didn't notice when the mayor stopped giving his speech, but I do hear something. Another voice.

"Sermina Dean!"

I look up from the math book. Did somebody call my name?

I stare at where I think the source of the voice came from: the stage in the center of the town square. I sort of shrug a little, not wanting to go up there and talk to some random stranger. I decide though that if they needed to talk to me, I probably should go up there. When someone needs you, you should listen to them. That's a part of the advice the advisers at the help sessions have been giving me and I know I probably should follow some of the advice. With a small sigh, I start walking forward.

As I continue to walk, I notice that everyone is quiet. I can feel people's eyes on me. It's never this quiet. Did something happen? I tend to enjoy silence though so whatever happened, I hope it doesn't go away. I only wished people would stop staring at me.

By the time I reach the stage, I see a woman is staring at me. She's Saria, our escort for the Hunger Games. Why did she want to talk to me?

Realization hits me at that moment. Did she just call out my name? Was I reaped? Am I going into the Hunger Games?

"Are you Sermina Dean?" she asks me with a smile on the face.

I recognize her voice. It is the voice I heard. She did call my name. _I am going into the Hunger Games._

I find myself shaking and I feel close to tears. I'm going into the games! I start scanning the square for my parents, hoping desperately that they can take me away from here. I don't want to leave here. I like it here! I like my home! I don't want to go to the Capitol. I don't want to be in the Hunger Games. _I don't want to die!_

* * *

><p><strong>Ellie Moon's POV – District 10<strong>

"Ellie Moon!"

My mind completely shuts down when I hear my name. They really did it…they picked me. I can't stop myself from crying. It takes everything within me to prevent myself from running away.

I stand there just crying amongst the other girls in the fifteen section before I start walking up to the stage. The peacekeepers will be coming for me soon so I should just start walking up there now. I slowly try to crack a smile but anyone could easily tell it's fake. The tears rolling down my face weren't helping either.

As I got closer to the stage in the center, my sorrow slowly turned to anger. I couldn't stop my tears but the smile on my face was gone and replaced with a scowl. I was angry at the Capitol. Angry that they created the Hunger Games. Angry that they had to kill off twenty-four kids just to remind us not to rebel. My anger then went to the rebels who led the rebellion years ago. If they had succeeded, then the Hunger Games would never have happened. Hundreds of kids wouldn't have been sent off to their death. I wouldn't be going to my death! I can't help but be angry at them as well. Angry at them for failing and dooming their ancestors for years to come.

Again, my anger chances to a different target: myself. Why did you get reaped so early? I needed to always be here in district ten to volunteer for Emily, my sister, if she was ever reaped. I failed my promise to make sure she was never reaped: if she is now, then I can't do anything about it. I've had similar feelings about myself before but never this strongly. Right now, I hate myself more than I've hated anything in my life.

When I finally get on the stage, the escort comes running up to me to ask me questions. I pay no attention to her. I just silently wipe away my tears and try to smile again. Scowling won't help me, especially since my family is watching.

It dawns on me that my family really is watching. They are here! I start scanning the crowds of people looking for my family until I spy them. My mother and father are looking right at me while Emily is facing away. My mother looks at me through red, teary eyes and appears as if she is doing everything she can not to faint. My father is just staring at me, his stony eyes and his facial expression showing that he is hurting. Emily slowly turns to face me but then immediately turns away again. She grabs a part of our mother's dress and starts crying into it. I give them a nod, trying to tell them that everything will be okay. I don't want to see them like that. It'll only make me break down into more tears. I turn away, hoping that they get my message and feel a little better.

As I stand up on stage, I notice all eyes of district ten are on me. It's funny how I've always wanted this moment in life to happen. I've always wanted to be the kind of person that everyone just watches in amazement. I've always wanted to live a life that people would notice and remember. I've always wanted to be the type of girl that Emily could look up to as a positive influence.

The irony hits me. I, Ellie Moon, will not be forgotten anytime soon. They will remember me until the day I die. All I have to do is make sure in the time that I have left that I can still be that positive influence in Emily's life.

* * *

><p><strong>Celsius Potens's POV – District 1<strong>

It didn't take more than a few seconds after the escort asked for girl volunteers before two girls charged up to volunteer. I watched one of them, a tall, muscular, brunette, punch the other girl hard in the face before running up to the arena. She looked at the escort, the cameras, and everyone in the district before she announced to everyone who she was.

"I, Audrina Prescott, volunteer as female tribute of district one." she states confidently.

The escort and the crowd roar in approval at this girl while I just roll my eyes. Idiot! She created too much attention with her little show. No doubt she just placed a target on her, especially when the careers break up. If I were reaped with her, I would surely waste no time to kill her once the careers alliance ends.

It dawns on me that maybe I would be just like her if I were ever to be a tribute for the games but I have no clue when that will happen.

When the escort goes over to pick the male tribute, I can't help but grit my teeth. I've had the proper training of any career tribute from our district. My mother has trained me to never lose at anything, which I never do. I would be the perfect tribute for the games and would be crowned victor almost immediately! Still, she refuses to let me volunteer.

"Never volunteer. Just wait. Wait for your grandfather to reap you. Then, while in the arena, make him realize that you are my child. That you are a victor and are above his silly games!" my mother's voice repeats in my head.

I am fine with waiting for my reaping but I am now seventeen! It's getting almost time to where I'm not eligible! If I'm not reaped this year, than I have to volunteer next year, whether my mother will want me to or not. I have to enter the games. I have to become a hunger games victor! Can grandfather, whoever he is, hurry up and rig the reapings already?

_Grandfather._ My mother never mentioned who he exactly was to me. All I know is that he is from the Capitol and involved in someway with the Hunger Games. He's probably a gamemaker or something. I also know that he and my mother never had a good relationship and when my mother eloped and ran away from the Capitol, to a district of all places, he was not pleased. She keeps telling me that some how, he will be able to influence the games to get me reaped so that I can die in the arena. She has trained me so much just to make sure that when I am, I can shove it in his and win the games.

_Well screw them both!_ I'm not going to die, like my grandfather thinks I will and I am not going to win to shove it in his face. I'm winning because I want to win! I want to show the world how powerful I am. I want to show grandfather, whoever he is, that I am worthy of being his grandson. I want all of Panem to see me on screen, killing twenty-three idiots and be remembered as a victor of the Hunger Games.

The escort finally picks the name of the male tribute and I can't help but roll my eyes again. It's going to be some useless boy who will then be replaced by an idiot volunteer who could never stand a chance of doing as well I could in the games. I close my eyes, not wanting to see this annoying scene that has happened each year I've been alive.

"Celsius Potens!"

My eyes dart open. This isn't the scene I imagined. They called me. _Me!_ Grandfather finally got his wish and rigged it!

I can feel a grin coming over my face and I can feel the excitement pouring through my body. I walk up to the stage in the front, making sure everyone sees how strong and confident I am. All of Panem's eyes and I am going to make sure they remember what their winner is going to look like.

When I finally get on stage, the escort greets and turns to the crowd. He thinks I won't be the tribute. He thinks that like each year, a volunteer will come forward.

"Are there any volunteers?" he asks expectantly, like I predicted.

I immediately push him out of the way and go to the microphone he just spoke through. I then start speaking, making sure everyone understands what I am trying to say. "There will be no volunteers this year. I am this year's male tribute for district one and I will kill any person who walks within ten steps of this stage!"

Any guy who was thinking of volunteering does not this year. I think they recognize the hostility in their voice. Maybe they aren't so stupid after all. I was not lying. I would kill anybody who dares to take my place in this year's games.

After a minute has passed, the escort gets up. He brushes some dirt off his clothes and glares at me for a second before he turns to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your tributes for this year's Hunger Games!" he announces.

The crowd starts cheering and I can't but give an even larger grin than before. They all know what's going to happen. I know what's going to happen. I don't lose and the games are no exception. I look over to the camera, wondering if my grandfather is watching me right now from the Capitol. I hope he sees me. I hope he sees how strong and determined I am. I'm winning the games this year grandfather and I hope you see how much of an honor it is to have me as your grandson.

* * *

><p><strong>Benedict Letat's POV – District 3<strong>

"Nathaniel Sparks!" the new escort of district three named Aelia announces.

A handsome young man with blonde hair walks up from the seventeen section. I can't help but think he does look sexy but I do notice something about him. His face is scared. His posture shows defiance, as if he wants to run away from the games and the Capitol. He may look good but he is a coward. He would die in the arena and would deserve nothing short of death.

Luckily for the good-looking coward, I already made up my mind to volunteer for this year's games.

When he reaches the stage, Aelia asks for any volunteers. I do not hesitate one second. My hand is up immediately. "I volunteer!"

All eyes are on me. Our district does not have many volunteers, so the rare ones that do seem to be given confused looks whenever they do. Anyone that works in the factory that I work in though does not look at me like that. They look at me knowingly. They knew I was going to volunteer. One thing that I have never hesitated to reveal to people was my opinion on the Capitol and the Hunger Games. I am one of the few in the district, and probably all of the districts, that is loyal to the Capitol. I credit my parents for giving me a foundation and teaching me the truth about the Capitol. They are our protectorate and have saved Panem from utter destruction. They've helped keep out country alive and functioning despite all hardships that has happened in our country's history. It disgusts me how anyone can feel anything but pride in our country. These people are ungrateful savages and are not worthy of living in Panem! They are the type of people that the Hunger Games were created to kill!

I do realize that the games have another purpose than to punish the unruly and evil citizens of Panem. They were meant to entertain the Capitol and they give the victors a lot of opportunities in life. I want nothing more than to be the entertainment the Capitol wants and needs. It'll be an honor to have them remember me and recognize me as a victor of the Hunger Games. It'll also be my ticket in becoming influential in Panem, such as becoming the mayor. This is why I've been trained by my parents and why I continue to push myself. This is why I have volunteered, when I am at the height of my training. This is why I will be walking away as victor in a few weeks.

When I walk up on stage, Nathaniel rushes by me. He seems to be looking very grateful. No doubt he thinks I did some unforgettable charity to him. I sort of wish I could have waited to volunteer next year so I could have watched him die, but nothing can be done about it. The sexy boy is lucky. Twenty-three other people were not.

"What is your name kid?" Aelia asks me when I'm up on stage. She's obviously surprised and happy that I volunteered.

"My name is Benedict Letat! It is a pleasure to meet you!" I greet her with the utmost respect she deserves as a citizen of the Capitol.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you!" she smiles back before turning to the people of district three. "District three, these are your tribute for this year's hunger games!"

I hear a sort of lackluster and emotionless applause, which does little but make me more angry at these people and their lack of respect for the Capitol and the games. I'll make sure they regret their lack of respect after I won. If I ever were to become mayor of this district, like I intend to, they will definitely regret this lack of respect.

The anthem comes on and I am forced to shake hands with my district partner, a pale skinned girl my age with auburn hair named Lenora Lemings. The anthem of Panem comes on a few seconds after. The anthem is something that always makes me proud. It is a perfect symbol of our country: a powerful song recognized by all that can instill both respect and fear in everyone's hearts. I find myself singing along with it as it continues.

As I am singing the anthem with the recording, I notice something. Lenora seems to be giving me a strange look. Is she surprised that I know the lyrics to the anthem? Or is it that I am singing with it? Or perhaps it is just because she is trying to read me? I don't really know nor do I care. She is irritating me and I realize that she is the representation of the district three I despise: the people who do not care for the Capitol. The people who actually wish that the rebels took control of Panem!

I decide to let her know something. I raise my index finger and bring it across my throat, as if I was slitting it. She seems to get my implication and gets even more scared than she already was. Psh! She is pathetic!

I've already decided my punishment for district three, for their lack of appreciation for all the Capitol has done to them. I will kill this girl, Lenora, in the most brutal way imaginable and I will enjoy every second of her death.

* * *

><p><strong>Baroque "Brock" Role's POV – District 7<strong>

"Baroque Role!"

The sound of our escort's voice makes me close my eyes. He called my name. I'm going into the arena.

I start walking down towards the stage, leaving the seventeen section. I make sure my face looks as emotionless as possible. No one looking at me can get a good read at me. They will see me as a strong, tough, emotionless boy. They don't know how I am feeling or what I'm thinking.

Strangely enough, I find myself giving my own well-being no thought. I'm more worried about my family. My mother and sisters are going to be left alone to provide for themselves. I know my mother is tough and has been working to help keep us fed since our father died, but I still worry for her. She's going to have to work even harder to keep her and the girls well fed now that I am not there to help bring in money. And my sisters might even need to get work now, despite being so young. Thalia may be able to find work but Marie and Lolly should not be working. They are too young!

I know I must try and return home to help my family but I worry about that. I've been working in the lumberyards for awhile now so I am physically capable to survive in the arena, but I can not kill somebody. I don't think I can. I refuse to become a monster in the arena, but I know I might end up becoming one if I were to leave...if I were to win the games.

I spend too much time thinking because I do not even notice getting on the stage. I am bombarded with questions from our escort, a young white-haired man named Icarus, but I ignore him. I'm not much of a talker and I don't feel like talking to him of all people. Instead, my eyes wander to my district partner, Akira I think her name was. She's much shorter and smaller than me but I can see she has some fight in her. The scar on her left cheek shows that she does. I look at her and I can tell that see she is a sweet and kind girl. I also see that she is worried as well, but not for herself I don't think. Maybe she has siblings too that she is leaving behind? I can't help but sympathize with her.

The anthem starts playing soon and we are shaking hands. I look into her brown eyes again and I know I will never be able to kill her. I won't be able to kill anyone in the games probably. I slowly sigh. I need to find some way back home. I need to find a way to get back to my family, but I refuse to become a monster in the process. I will return to them the same person I am today. I just need to think how I can do that.

* * *

><p><strong>Jamor "Jay" Lovet's POV – District 11 <strong>

"Nelson Sieg!" the escort announces the name of the male tribute.

A boy from the seventeen section comes forward after a few minutes of just silence. He is a strong-looking boy with a couple of scars on his left arm and ear. He looks similar to how I think I looked when I was called, only less red. The shock on his face is very evident and he looks like he is about to pass out. Just like how I felt.

My mind still repeats the death sentence I heard a few seconds ago: the escort calling my name. It keeps getting louder and louder, causing me to get even more scared and more red. Nothing I do or think will cause the voice to get quieter. Nothing I can do will change what happened. I, Jay Lovet, was picked for the Hunger Games for this year.

Once again, I find my eyes moving to the eighteen section, right on my older sister Ule. My father had rushed over to her from the sidelines that those over eighteen were required to be in. He had his hands over his face and prevented her from volunteering when our escort asked for volunteers. She looked saddened and almost dead when she missed her opportunity. She was now looking at me with sorrowful eyes, hoping that she was dreaming. That I was fine and would be by her side in the next few hours or so. I can't help but wish I was dreaming all of this as well.

My eyes soon moved over to everyone around her. So many people were staring at me and the boy that was marching up to the stage. There were so many eyes on us. So many eyes on me. I kept getting redder and redder with each additional eye looking at me. I'm not used to this attention. I can't help but wish this was not real. I want to run away. I want to leave this stage and never come back.

When the boy, Nelson, finally reached the stage, our escort runs over to him and talks to him for a few minutes. In a few seconds, she announces to the district that they have their tributes for this year's games. The boy and I are then forced to shake hands. We look into each others. We might as well be looking into the eyes of a corpse. He looks just like the citizen I saw a peacekeeper shoot when I was just two years old. The image still burns in my head: the powerlessness, the fear, the sorrow, the gruesome sight of his body. I can only imagine that I look just like this corpse as well.

The anthem comes on and I find my eyes looking back to the crowd. All of the eyes on us. I find myself looking for Ule again. When I find her again, I find myself just staring at her. My eyes don't falter from her. This is the last time I will see her or anyone from my district. This is the last time I will be here alive.

The urge to run away and hide comes back but once again, I suppress it. I know it won't do me any good. There's nothing I can do. I am going into the arena of death and I won't be coming back alive...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys! Now that I have all tributes, I was able to get this started! Here is the chapter of the reapings! I decided to do just one chapter for the reapings, one for the justice buildings, and one for the train. Each chapter has eight point of views, so by the end of them, you will have gotten to know all twenty-four tributes! I plan on getting them in as fast as possible.<strong>

**So now that you got to see some of the tributes, any favorites so far? Any least favorites? Let me know what you all think! :) Also let me know about any criticism you have that can help make me a better writer and the story a better story! I'll see you all soon with the next chapter and the next eight tributes! Until then! :)  
><strong>


	4. The Justice Building

**Kai Seagray's POV – District 4**

I am the type of person who rarely gets angry. People tell me that I am very calm and collected and can handle a lot of things before getting annoyed. I would agree with them. Still, I know I can get angry and when I do get angry, anybody around me might as well be watching an explosion.

Naturally, one of the few times of the year that annoys me is the Reaping day. It should be no surprise that being reaped would get me angry. I knew I had to control it though. I couldn't explode and release all my anger. I was in front of the cameras, peacekeepers, and sponsors that I knew I would need to support me in the Games. So I bottled up my anger.

About a minute ago, the peacekeepers escorted me to a room within the Justice Building where I am to be held before being sent to the Capitol. I am now alone. With no one around, I can finally unleash my rage

I can feel myself screaming as I take a couple of pictures off the wall they were held on and throw them across the room. I proceed to kick the blue couch that was placed in the room. Anyone outside the room probably can hear various obscenities and curses leaving my mouth.

"Hey! You in there!" I hear a peacekeeper shout at me from outside the room. "What are you doing in there? Sit still!"

"Screw you!" I spit out as I toss another picture across the room. I hear the glass around it shatter.

"No, screw you!" the peacekeeper hisses back as he hits the door, hoping to get my attention. "You keep quiet or else you'll be sorry!"

I can feel the urge to hiss back at the guy. I know he can't do anything to me since I am going into the Hunger Games. The Capitol wouldn't let him. They would save any 'punishment' for me for the arena. As I'm about to shout and break some more pictures, a thought comes into my head as possible punishment: they could punish me through my family. What if they didn't let them visit me? Or what if they actually hurt them? With these thoughts coming to me, I start to calm myself down. I walk over to the couch in the room and just sit. I'm fine with taking responsibility for things but I wouldn't want them to get in trouble for my own temper tantrums.

In a few minutes, I can see the door open and my family comes in: my father, mother, and Hal, my older brother. I guess I didn't do anything that would get them in trouble! The thought eases me and I feel completely calm again.

My mother immediately tackles me in a hug when she walks in. I can see some tears rolling down her face. Hal walks up to us and pats both of us on our backs, looking at me sadly. I look at him for a few minutes before I turn to my father. He is standing in the same spot he was in when he walked in, just looking at the room.

My family sits in silence until my father finally decides to speak.

"Kai, what did you do in here?" he asks me in amazement, his eyes wandering all across the room.

I hold back a sigh. Leave it to my father to care more about the condition of a room than his own son. I know he is my father and he loves me but I can't help but feel he doesn't care about me much. He doesn't seem to take much interest in anything I say and do. Seems like my reaping hasn't affected him yet, if it ever will.

"I got mad." I explain to him briefly, trying to word it so he doesn't get bored or uninterested.

My father gives me a peculiar look before he walks over to me and sits down next to me. He wraps his arms around me and my mother in a group hug, which shocks me. He's not one to show much affection in general, especially to me!

"Kai…I know you are a tough kid. You got strength and your handy with a spear. I expect to see you coming back to us alive. Know that we will be waiting for you to come back home." he tells me. I can finally see some emotion in his eyes. He actually cares about me!

"Oh Kai!" my mother starts to sob harder as my father mentions me being in the arena.

"He's a grown man Laria! He's tougher than any of us. He will be fine!" my father tells my mother, hoping to convince her of my strength.

"He's our son Seaton! And he's going into the arena!" she shouts at him as she pulls me tighter in the hug.

"Dad's right Mom!" Hal states as he joins our family group hug. He gives me another look, this time not filled with sadness. His look is the confident one he seems to have usually on his face. "I know my little brother well. He's a tough kid. He has the wounds to prove it!"

Hal is right. I do have various wounds. My leg is crooked after the bones in it were shattered in an accident on a fishing boat when I was fourteen. I also have a scar on my chest that I got from a fight with a couple of greedy guys who wanted the money I got from some fish I sold. They are pretty major wounds that impacted my appearance but they do show that I am tough. I'm not a wimp. I can take anything that's thrown at me and I won't go down without a fight!

My mother still looks uncomfortable so I decide to speak up.

"They're right Mom. I will be fine." I tell her.

My mother turns to me, her eyes still red with tears. In a few seconds though, she stops crying. She lets go of me as tightly as she bends over to whisper in my ear.

"Pray. Ask for God's strength in the arena." she whispers in my ear.

No one outside of my family is in the room, but you still have to be careful whenever you discuss religion in Panem. The Capitol outlawed any type of religion within the districts after they took control. They probably saw it as common factor that could unite people together. Religion was probably seen as a catalyst for rebellion.

That hasn't stopped my family from practicing Christianity. The religion has been passed down in my family for generations. Unlike most people in Panem, who gave up on religion entirely due to the harsh rule of Panem, we continue to believe. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins. We continue to believe and hope that one day, God will deliver all of Panem from the evils of the Capitol.

My mother's words remind me of my religious faith and I feel more confident. God is by my side. Who should I be afraid of?

"I will Mom." I whisper back to her.

A peacekeeper bangs on the door, signaling for my family to leave. They each give me one last hug and kiss, even my father! They are then escorted out of the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

_God. _I have no illusions that God would choose for me to survive in the arena over twenty-three other children. Whether I make it our alive or not will be dependent solely on myself. I do believe though that he can supply the mental strength that I will need just to survive the next few days!

I start to smirk as my confidence grows. I begin to close my eyes and begin to pray. I am going to make sure that I am ready for anything the gamemakers decide to throw in my direction in the arena.

* * *

><p><strong>Faith Cale's POV – District 8<strong>

I was relieved the second the peacekeepers took me away from the town square and brought me to the Justice Building. It's weird feeling any relief after you found out you were reaped and chosen for the Hunger Games but I needed to get away from the town square and away from everyone. I needed some time to myself just to think.

Sitting in the Justice Building, waiting for any visitors to come, I start planning my strategy in the Games. The original feeling of dread is starting to leave and I can feel myself getting more and more determined. I need to win the Games. There's no exception! There is so many things that I had planned to do in life and I intend to be able to live out all of my dreams. I will come back home to District 8 no matter what I have to do, even if I end up losing my sanity…

I can't help but wonder if I really think that. Will I be willing to do anything, even kill children younger than me, in order to come home? I'm scared of what the games are going to make me. What they are going to do to me. But does it matter what they do to me if I am able to come home? Isn't that the most important thing? Or is it not?

My thoughts are interrupted as I receive my first, and probably only, visitor: my father. He looks over to me with red eyes, probably from crying after hearing my name called at the Reaping.

We don't waste a second. I run to him and he runs to me. Soon, he is hugging me tightly and I stay in his arms, hoping that he never lets me go.

My father is the first to end the silence. He lets go of me and looks at me, the tears starting to form again in his eyes.

"Faith, you know I've always loved you." he lets me know.

I think I can feel myself starting to tear up. I nod in response.

"I want you to know that I always have. And your mother always did." he tells me as he starts digging in his pocket.

_Mother._ We never talk about my mother. All I ever learned was that she died giving birth to me and that she was very similar to me. I heard I inherited her feistiness and her desire for romance but I haven't felt too feisty or romantic in the past few hours. My father does not enjoy talking about her so I can't help but question why he would bring her up now.

My question is soon answered though when I see him finally find what he was looking for in his pocket. He pulls out a diamond ring that shines even in the lights in the room. It's a ring that he has always had and kept right by his bedside. It's the wedding ring he gave my mother.

He looks over me and takes my hand. He then gently slides the ring onto my ring finger. It fits almost perfectly.

"You get to keep thing from home to bring with you. Your District Token I think it is called. Please take this ring with you!" he pleads with me. "Wear it and know that I am always with you and so is your mother!"

If I was attempting to keep myself from crying, I can't stop them from coming out now. I start crying as I stare at the ring on my hand. _It truly is beautiful._

"Of course I will Dad! I'll never take it off! I'll still be wearing up to the day I get back home!" I tell him.

My father gives me a smile before he grabs me and pulls me back into his arms. He puts his hand in my long golden brown hair and starts ruffling it.

"I love you Faith! Make sure you come back home. There are so many things we intended to do together. So many things I intended to see you go through." he mumbles, trying to not to cry again.

I nod in agreement. We had planned so many things about my life. He would be there to see me get married. He would be there to see the birth of his grandchildren. There are so many of my lives goals we discussed together. It turns out he would always be there: it is me who may not be alive to experience them.

I open my mouth to speak but I hear a door opening. A peacekeeper comes in and grabs my father. Apparently we lost track of time and the peacekeepers are not going to have to drag him out.

"I love you Dad! I promise I will come home!" I yell to him.

"I'll be waiting!" he is able to shout before he is taken out of the room and the door is shut.

I'm all alone. I won't have any more visitors. I never was too close to anyone in particular so I won't expect anymore visitors.

My mind is still focused on my father. I don't want to think of the Games. I decide to take off the wedding ring and look at it in more detail to get my mind off the Games. It truly is beautiful. My father must have spent a fortune on it.

As I continue to study it, I notice something. A couple of words etched on the inside. I look a little closer to read what they say. I read the words slowly in my head: 'To the Contrary!'

'To the Contrary?' What could possible be the significance? An idea comes into my head and I start to smirk. I know the idea that came into my head is not the intended meaning, but it helps me comfortable and confident in myself. I put on my ring and slowly speak of the meaning I thought of.

"Hello President Snow. Hello people of the Capitol. I know you have had me reaped and intend for me to die. You would much prefer to see a career tribute win after all." I speak to an imaginary audience, as if I was in the middle of the interview before the Games started. "On the contrary, I do not intend on dying. No, I intend on making it home and living a peaceful life with my father.

* * *

><p><strong>Adam Assange's POV – District 5<strong>

I didn't notice when the peacekeepers dragged me away to the Justice Building and into a room by myself. It didn't matter where I was: I could still feel the world around me spinning. Nothing could stop the spinning. I was just reaped for the Hunger Games and the shear knowledge of that was enough to make me want to fall to the floor and cry.

It didn't help that I saw all that I needed to see from the crowd of District 5. Everyone was staring at me with such pity and sorrow. They knew I was going to die. And why wouldn't I? I'm just a weak little kid, thrown into an arena filled with strong and merciless killers. I always hated the fact that I was such a weakling and now I resent it even more. It's what's going to get me killed. It's what's going to separate me from my family forever.

I lose track of time. I have no clue how long I've been in the building huddled up on the couch crying. Only thing I remember is that at some point, I see the door open and I see a strong-looking peacekeeper with blonde hair similar to my own walk into the room.

I immediately tackle him to the ground and cling to him. I refuse to let go of Monty, my older brother.

"Adam, I am so sorry. I can't believe this. I can't believe it was you…" Monty mumbles, his voice close to tears. He allows me to stay attached to him, allowing me to cry into his uniform.

"Monty, I'm scared. What's going to happen?" I say in between sobs. I can't help but think I sound pathetic but I have to try and get out all of my tears here. If I want to be strong in the Games, I can't be weak. I have to get everything out right now, in this room.

"I can tell you one thing and that is you aren't going anywhere!" my brother replies to me. I can't hear any sense of disbelief or deceit in his voice. Does he really think that?

"What do you mean?" I ask him confused. I move my head up from his clothes and look through my teary eyes into his brown eyes.

"I'm bailing you out of here." he tells me.

I can feel the tears stopping as I narrow my eyes in confusion. Is that even possible?

Monty looks at me and he sees my confusion so he starts explaining. "You know I'm a peacekeeper! Well, technically I'm currently training to be one, but I still perform the same duties as one and am recognized as one. Well, a peacekeeper needs to escort you to the train station. No one would think twice if I were to 'escort' you out of the building when time comes for you to leave. No one would notice if we were to just disappear. I'll make sure to get you out of here! I've already planned our escape route. We are fleeing to District Thirteen!"

I blink. I feel my own mouth dropping in shock. Can this plan work? Is there even a District 13? And what if we got caught? My fears and doubts start pouring in and I know I need to ask him.

"What if we get caught? What's going to happen to you?" I ask him. I don't want him to risk his life just to save me. I couldn't bear to lose him.

"We won't. Nothing is going to happen to me. We're going to leave here and head away, like father always wanted!" Monty tells me.

_Father._ He had always told us stories of District 13 and his plans to take us away from the influence of the Capitol so we could live a better life. I always associated these thoughts with death after my father's disappearance. My mother and Monty have told me that father had left us due to the hardships and poverty in our life, but I know he didn't. He has to be dead. After all, I found the old glass eye he always wore in a trash heap outside the Justice Building, where they do all the executions. He has to be dead and it would be because of his plans for all of us to leave the district. Now Monty is planning just like him, and I'm worried. He can't end up like my father!

"You can't end up like him Monty! You can't die!" I beg him.

"Father never died! He's waiting for us in District Thirteen!" he replies to, blissfully unaware of the glass eye I have. "Besides, we aren't going to die! Guinevere is going to cover for us here in the district. She'll make up some excuse or death situation for us and then join us in a few days!"

I almost frown at him referring to mother by her full name and not by mother like he used to. Ever since our father's death, mother has gotten more distant from us. She pushed Monty into becoming a peacekeeper due to the financial benefits of the job and has almost forgotten about me entirely due to me being another mouth to feed. Monty's become so distanced from her because of all this.

I start thinking though maybe their relationship is better. She's part of the plan?

"You told her about the plan? She's helping us?" I ask.

"Well, I haven't told her yet." He admitted. "She's here though, waiting to see you. I'm going to tell her when I get outside. She'll definitely help us, considering we are her children. She has to!"

For the first time, I see a nervous look on Monty's face. He doubts mother no doubt. I don't see anything wrong with that though. She will help us. She may have become distanced but she still loves us! I know she does!

"We can trust her." I tell him. I then give him another hug and for the first time since my reaping, I smile. "Thank you Monty. For this. And for everything. You really are the best brother I could have ever asked for."

Monty hugs me back, starting to smile as well. "It's no problem Adam. It's the least I can do for you, especially after I chickened out from volunteering for you. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to act then but I hope having the courage now will fix things!"

I forgot that my brother was seventeen years old and could have volunteered for me at the reapings. I'm glad though he didn't! I couldn't live with myself if he did that for me and died in the arena! Besides, the plan he came up with involves neither of us going to the arena!

Monty lets go of me and looks over to the door. "I need to get out. I need to talk to mother about the plan. I'll see you in about an hour to 'escort' you. Be back soon little brother!"

He waves goodbye to me before walking out. I imagine he will probably start talking to mother now. Mother might be a little crazy and distanced, but she would never think of disagreeing with his plans. I start feeling better and I finally feel relieved for the first time since the reapings. I trust my brother. I know he will be fine and he will do his best to help me. I now just have to find someway to repay him, something I don't think I'll ever be able to do…

I sit, waiting for time to come when Monty comes back. Suddenly, I hear noises. I think its shouting come from the other room. I then hear glass shatter and then I hear nothing but silence.

My worries come back, even worse than before. What happened? Is everything okay? Mother would never disagree. She would never do something that would endanger her children's lives, would she? No, she wouldn't! But what if another peacekeeper walked in and heard their conversation? What if one heard our conversation? That could mean…

I feel the urge to walk out and just see if everything is okay. I fight back the urge though. If I get caught, I could make the situation worse if it is already bad. I have to wait until Monty comes back.

I continue waiting for what feels like forever until I hear a knocking on the door. I grow excited, thinking it's my brother, until I hear the voice.

"Hey! We are sorry about this, but the train ride to the Capitol will be postponed for an hour or so. Something has come up here and we have no available peacekeepers to escort you. We'll tell you when the ride is back on!" a peacekeeper's voice tells me before I hear footsteps walking away.

Something has come up? What could have happened? Did they catch Monty? My mother? What happened?

Instinctively, I reach into the pocket of my pants and pull out a small glass eye. The one my father wore. The one that I had planned to by District Token. I hold in my hands before placing it right by my chest.

"Father, wherever you are, please watch over Monty and Mother. Make sure they are okay. Please…" I whisper as I close my eyes, hoping my father can hear me from wherever he may be.

* * *

><p><strong>Inara Abusi's POV – District 2<strong>

"Get out!" I hiss when I watch my parents walk into my room in the Justice Building.

My mother was alarmed by the hostility in my voice but my father didn't care. Of course he didn't care! He's been pushing for me to be a victor since I was a little child! Finally having me as a tribute must be the most satisfying thing to him.

"Can't we come visit out daughter before the games?" my mother asks to me, shock still in her voice.

Why does she all of a sudden care? It's not like she has been a good mother figure to me ever. She distanced herself from me about eight years ago and let father train me into the ground. She certainly has been no mother to me, so why is she surprised that I would not want to see her?

"We're here whether you want us to be or not." my father declared, preventing me from interjecting at my mother. "Inara, I hope you realize how much of an honor it is to be chosen for tribute in the Hunger Games."

"'Chosen?' By who? That was not a fair reaping ceremony! I know you rigged it for me and I know you convinced the district not to volunteer!" I accuse him.

He shrugs his shoulders. I know I am right and there's no point in him denying it. He's one of the highest ranking peacekeepers in District 2. He has influence over everything that happens in the district, including the reapings. It would not be hard for him to 'persuade' parents of the district to not allow their children to volunteer. It would also not be hard to rig the reaping choice for him.

"Why do you care? You're in the Games, just like we have always planned. You are going to come home a victor! I know you can do it!" he informs me, his eyes narrowing.

"Get. Out!" I shout again.

My mother's eyes grow larger and she walks out. I wasn't even addressing her that time! Of course, since I was talking to my father, he has to stay in the room a little longer. He walks up to me and grabs my face. I can feel my fist tightening.

"You will come back a winner! Don't disappoint me Inara! Don't be like your brother!" he informs, his grip on my face tightening.

That's all it took. I slam fist into his chest. The impact knocks him back a few steps but he soon recovers. If I were anyone else, he would probably attack me back. He can't do that though. Not anymore. I'm a tribute in the Hunger Games. He can't do anything to me.

"You will regret that!" he hisses as he starts walking back. "Don't you think of failing on your family! Do not be like Kayden!"

He storms out of the room. Lucky him. If he stayed in for a few more seconds, I would have attacked him again. How dare he bring up Kayden like that?

I can start feeling tears come to my face. Kayden, my older brother, was reaped ten years ago. My father rigged the reapings for him too, just like he did with me. He knew Kayden could win the games and he knew how important having a victor in the family would be. It didn't occur to him that Kayden could actually die, but he did. He died in the final four at the hands of some girl from District 10 that ended up winning their year. Father was not pleased. When his corpse came back to the district to be buried, he spat on it and called him a disgrace to the family. He also increased my training regime for the Games. He wasn't going to have me 'make the same mistake' my 'failure' of a brother made.

_Well what if I want to?_ I start to contemplate dying in the arena just to get him angry. Maybe even in the bloodbath, where it would bring more 'dishonor' to our family's name. The thought actually makes me grin. That would be perfect payback against him: my revenge for all that he has put me and my brother through.

As these borderline suicidal thoughts run through my head, I hear the door open. I see a girl walk in wearing a maid's wardrobe. In front of me is our family's maid, and my only friend, Niara.

She runs over to me and gives me a hug. For the first time, I feel regret about leaving. She is one of the two people that I will miss from my district. Her and my little sister: Serenity.

_Serenity!_ How could I forget about her? I let go of my hug with her and face my best friend.

"How is she? How is my sister?" I ask her.

Niara frowns a little before finally saying what she knows. "No different. Potentially a little worse. She was too sick to come visit you. She wanted me to wish you good luck!"

I start cursing. Serenity has always been born a sickly child and just never seems to get better. No doctor has been able to cure her. If things don't get better, she might end up dying so young…

_No!_ That's the one thing I refuse to let happen! She will not die. Not this young! Not when she is just a five year old! There has to be hope somehow.

I start wondering if being a victor could get me access to Capitol doctors. Are they better and smarter than the ones in our district? Could they cure her? I start actually wanting to win the Games to see if it was possible to get the medical help she needs.

Ironic that I would feel any desire to win after I was feeling suicidal thoughts about the Games.

"I'm coming home! I'm not letting her die on me! She has to be fine!" I inform Niara.

"You can come home! I know you can do it! You just need to join up with the careers and kill them later!" she tells me.

"Why would the careers want me?" I ask her in disbelief. I think it's very evident that I don't think fondly of the Games. I also worry about my ability to kill someone. My father may have hardened my feelings towards him and the district and he may have made me a skilled fighter, but I don't have the mentality of a career. I don't think I could kill without multiple second thoughts.

Niara rolls her eyes to my question. "Okay look: you are from District Two! The top career district in all of Panem! You are expected to be one! Besides, you got the weapon experience and the training, so it's not like your talents would make them deny you! Also, your partner was checking you out at the reapings and he screams obvious career!"

I raise my eyebrows until I remember. My district partner, Cannon Estate I think, was checking me out when he walked up on stage. He gave me a lot of glances, probably sizing up if I was career material or not. The question is though if he liked what I saw. Do I look like a career? Maybe I do.

"I'll see what I can do. If they invite me, I'll join." I tell her, still having my doubts. I may have the desire to win and the abilities, but I don't think my killing mentality will be favored when it comes time to create the careers.

"They will. And you will take them all down in the end! I know you can do it!" she gives me another hug.

I return it, a grin returning on my face. Yeah, I think I do stand a chance. I'll see what happens. All I know is that I need to return home to my sister and I feel like I'll do anything to do it. Even kill…

* * *

><p><strong>Topovska Hrana's POV – District 6<strong>

After the reapings, peacekeepers escorted me and my partner to the Justice Building. That was probably unnecessary. I've been here before and I have a good memory. I probably could have walked here by myself, even find my way to the room I'm currently sitting in right now.

I sigh. Nothing has changed here. Everything in here is just the way I remember seeing it eight years ago. The couch. The pictures of the previous victors. The overall feeling of dread. The only thing that is different in the room is that a picture of my brother has been added with the other victors.

_Brother._ I wonder if Poklon will come visit me. Is he even aware that I was reaped? Is he aware of anything anymore? After thinking of various times we have interacted with each other after the games, the only conclusion I come up with is no. He won't come.

The door opens in the room and I look to see my parents. Both my father and mother looked near tears. I can imagine most of the parents of most tributes look like this. It's probably like looking at a corpse.

My father is the first to approach me. He grabs me and holds me in a deep hug.

"Oh my little Topovi…" he whispers the name he has affectionately called me for years as he rubs my back.

The meeting with my parents is pretty much as I expected it to be. They are sorrowful. I am sorrowful. They wish me good luck. They tell me to try my best. They beg for me to win. I promise I will do my best. I give them a hug and kiss each and wish that I couldn't leave their presence. Then they are taken off by the peacekeepers and I am left alone.

After my parents leave, I am visited a couple of more times by a few students at my school and even a couple of teachers! I'm a bright kid and I think they respect my thirst for knowledge. They tell me how different classes are going to be without me in the room. As for the students, they tell me how they will miss my help with their homework and wish me good luck.

I get a brief respite from visitors, which I use to think. I need to plan how the Hunger Games will go. I do intend on coming home and I need to think how I can do it. I start running through ideas of various weapons that I may be suited for. Running through possible scenarios with hypothetical tributes. Thinking of any possible gamemaker traps in different arenas my mind creates. I need to make sure I am mentally prepared for the games.

An idea interrupts my thoughts: do I even want to win the Games? Poklon seems as if he doesn't enjoy life after he won. Before he won, he had normal childhood innocence and kindness that I think can be found in any twelve year old. After he won the games and became one of the few twelve year olds to win, he lost all of his innocence. He became hardened. He is always zoning out. I don't remember hearing his voice since the last time he spoke on his victory tour. He doesn't seem as if he enjoys life anymore. I start wondering if I want to become like my brother, an emotionless shadow of what he used to be.

The door opens and I see I have another visitor. I turn to look at them and I am surprised! Poklon came to visit me.

He walks slowly towards to me. He still has that emotionless, away look on his face that he had since he won the games seven years ago. He keeps walking until he reaches me. He gives me a look and I feel as if he is back in the real world. His look is one of sorrow: an emotion!

"Topovska…" he mumbles. I think we are both shocked at the sound of his voice. It's matured with age but sounds weak due to years of inactivity. "…You aren't alone…I am going with you…"

My eyes light up in realization. I know it is the duties of victors to mentor the tributes. It's probably his year this year. How fitting.

"How do you feel Poklon?" I ask him. I've asked him this question many times each day, hoping to get a response. For the first time in years, I'm expecting to get one back.

"A combination of dead and alive…" he tells me. I believe him. I can see genuine emotion in him for the first time but he still looks like he did after he won his Games: an emotionless shadow.

My brother moves his hands to the back of his neck and takes off a necklace with blue beads, a necklace I made for him when I was a kid. He puts it around my neck, which shocks me.

"That was my District Token…I hope you can use it for yours…" he mumbles.

I can feel some tears rolling up in my face as I touch the necklace.

"Topovska…I'll be there…I'll be giving you advice. Please…don't die…" he tells me, looking away. "…I've seen too much death already…"

"I promise! I won't!" I inform, pulling him into a hug. The contact I think shocks him and makes him uncomfortable but I can feel his arms wrapping around me.

My previous thoughts on becoming like him have gone out of my head. I will not worry about becoming emotionless or damaged in the arena. If I do, then he is here to help me. He will understand what I will be going through. I no longer worry about that. I made a promise to him and my parents that I would return. I will not die! I need to get back to my thoughts and plan how I will obtain victory…

* * *

><p><strong>Audrina Prescott's POV – District 1<strong>

The first thing I notice when I'm in the Justice Building is the pictures of all the previous Hunger Games victors. I can't hide my smirk when I realize that I'll have my picture up there in one year. It's been far too long since a District 1 career won the Games! Recently, Districts 4 and 2 are the career districts that have been winning. Well not this year! This year, I'm taking home the title!

When my family arrives at the Justice Building, their pride is evident. My mother and father greet me with me open arms. They are laughing and taking bets on how many tributes I will end up killing in the arena. My siblings join in with them and soon I am taking part!

"I'm thinking she gets seven! That's a good number!" my mother gives her opinion.

"It's a good number but you haven't been watching her practice like I have!" my father laughs. "She'll easily break ten."

"All of them!" Alexa, my little sister, blurts out.

"Right at the beginning too!" her twin brother, Sloan, adds.

"I like the way you two think!" I tell them with a laugh as I grab them both and mess with their hair.

All the joking is fun but I'm not too worried about how many kills I make. I'll make plenty I am sure. The only thing I am truly concerned with though is getting the first kill. I'll make sure it is me who claims blood before any other tribute. No one will stop me from making the first kill.

"Kids, I know we want to spend time with your sister but I think she might want some time to think about the Games. Think about who she's going for first and all!" my father laughs. "Do you want us to leave Audrina?"

"That's fine with me. I guess I could use some time to think!" I inform him.

With those words, my family gives me a hug and a kiss. They all wish me good luck and tell me to give a shout-out in my interview before they all walk out. All except my older brother, Zander.

"What do you want?" I ask harshly. Zander and I never got along well. Why would he, of all people, try to spend more time with me?

"Audrina…don't die. Make sure you come back home." he tells me before he walks out.

_What nerve!_ Does my stupid older brother think that I have what it takes to win? He's the one who never trained to be a tribute and the one who wasted all of his years of eligibility! How dare he think of doubting me! I'll make sure to give him a hard time when I'm back home!

I decide to brush him off and just start to think about the arena. I need to join with the other careers right away at the Capitol. I need to see what they have planned and figure out how I can kill them off before they kill me. It shouldn't be too hard. Just need to figure out what makes each of them tick.

I don't get much time to think before the door opens. My best friends, Alina and Abrielle, come running in.

"Audrina! You are in! You are in the Hunger Games! Oh my gosh!" Abrielle screams in excitement. I only nod, a smirk on my face. "Oh my gosh, I know this year's victor!"

"Yes you do! I'll make sure to give you guys a shout-out when I'm in the interview, just like my parents!" I tell them, which causes Abrielle to scream again in excitement.

"Have you thought about your plans yet?" Alina asked.

"I was doing that before you guys got here actually. I want to meet the other careers first before I decide too much what to do. All I know is that they are all going to die eventually!" I tell her truthfully.

"Oh my gosh! Did you see your partner? Celsius? He looks SO HOT!" Abrielle screams.

Who? The angry guy who ordered are district guys not to volunteer? Eh, I guess he looked a little good. He annoyed me though. He thinks he's tougher than he is. I'll be glad to bring him down his ego a couple of pegs. It'll happen probably when I'm shoving my spear further into his heart.

"You HAVE to introduce me to him after the Games!" Abrielle begs me.

"Abrielle, he's going to be dead after the Games. I'm going to make sure of that!" I roll my eyes. She may be a good friend of mine but she is an airhead.

Abrielle gasps a little bit and looks as if she is thinking. Finally, she blurts out some thought of hers. "When he comes back, make sure I can get his corpse then! Don't do anything to drastic to it!"

"Abrielle! That's disgusting!" Alina shakes her head in disapproval. Abrielle merely shrugs in response.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure his pretty little face isn't damage." I tell her though. I can see her eyes glow while Alina gives me a dark look. I don't intend to damage his face after all. His body on the other hand…well I got to stab him somewhere and that's going to damage it.

It doesn't take long before Alina suggests they go to stop bothering me. Abrielle gives me a wave goodbye while Alina gives me a hug and wishes me luck. After that, they leave. I'm left alone now.

I don't expect any more visitors. No more interruptions. I should probably use this time wisely and go back to my plans in the arena. I start to smirk. I know I am winning the Games. There is no doubt about it. The other tributes, especially my fellow careers, are going to be in for a rude awakening when they see some of the tricks up my sleeve.

* * *

><p><strong>Iago Latimer's POV – District 9<strong>

For the first time that I can remember, I am silent. I have no witty remark to make. No joke. No words with a double entendre. I guess someone found the only way to make me shut up: get me reaped into the Hunger Games.

I sit on the couch in the Justice Building in silent rage. I can't find my voice but I can't contain my anger. I can't believe that this happened! _Me!_ Of all people to get reaped, it had to be me! This just doesn't make sense! I've never needed tesserae: if I needed more food when times are hard, I would find my way to the black market and bargain with what I had. Worse case scenario I would steal. Never have I needed tesserae. I only had six pieces of paper for the Reaping that any seventeen year old had, _and it had to be me!_

I sit in my rage for what feels like forever until I see the door open. I see my best friends, Macio and Dergus, walk in. I also see Macio's girlfriend, Larissa, walking in with them. My two friends sit on the couch right next to me while Larissa stands in front, just looking at us.

"How are you feeling Iago?" Dergus asks for first. There's a certain sadness in his voice that I'm not accustomed to. He's normally pretty happy.

"Like crap." I state bitterly. My voice surprises me. For starters, I spoke! Secondly, I spoke to the point and not drawn out like usual. Thirdly, I spoke with more malice than I intended to.

"I'm really sorry man…" Macio mumbles, looking down on the floor. "…I can't believe that you got reaped. I don't think I've ever known anyone who's been reaped…"

"It's just bad luck. I've been lucky in life at times but it looks like Lady Luck has decided to move on to another man." I sigh. I'm more pleased with this response. It's more joking and less malice. My friends don't deserve my bitterness. I'll save all of that if I ever get the 'honor' to have a face-to-face conversation with President Snow.

"She'll come back to you when you need it. Like in the arena! No doubt she'll be shining over you then!" Dergus informs me. There's that optimism that I wasn't hearing in his voice earlier!

"No doubt about it! You're definitely going to be coming back! You wouldn't leave us after all. We need you. Your dad needs you." Macio tells me.

My father will be needing me! He's an old man who needs my help in bringing food into him. Technically he's not my biological father, but he's the closest thing I have to parent. He took me in and I owe him for that. I can't just leave him here by himself!

I'm not one for directly asking someone what I want them to do. I'm more the type of person who would rather them figure out what I want from them. So I turn to them, trying to think of how I'm going word my request.

"Say Macio, Dergus…you guys know my dad's an old man. He's tired himself out from working in the grain factories. He really needs someone to help him. I've always done my part for him but I worry what'll happen when I'm not there." I explain, hoping they get my hint.

"Say no more! Of course we'll help!" Macio tells me.

"Of course! We'll be going after we leave here to check up on him!" Dergus adds.

I smile. They did understand. I can only feel a little relief knowing my father will be taken care of while I'm in the arena.

"Guys, it's coming time for peacekeepers to come. We should go." Larissa tells the guys.

Larissa and I share a glance with each other. We've never talked much. Our only connection with each other is Macio. I think secretly we have never liked each other. I wonder what she thinks of all this? Is she glad that I'm being reaped?

"Iago…no one wants to see you die. Come back safely." she tells me. My eyes widen at the concern in her voice. I can only nod in response.

Macio and Dergus give me a hug and a high five before they are on their way out. They wish me luck and leave the room. Leaving me by myself.

I start wondering if anyone else will come visit me. My father would probably have been the first person to visit me if he was able to come. I wonder if something happened to him. He is old. I hope everything is okay with him, but I trust my friends to watch over him and make sure he's taken care of. I know they will do that until I come back…and if I don't, I know they will still do it for me.

I start thinking of anyone else that could visit me. I'm not too close with most people: many people tend to not trust me after they get to know me. The only person that I could see potentially coming to visit me is my sister but I push the thoughts out of my head. She and I have not spoken in years. I think she hates me. She blames me for mother's death and for all the hardships we both experienced in life.

_Mother._ Truth be told, I am responsible for mother's death. Seventeen years ago, my mother was raped. I was the product of that affair. Even as a baby, I was causing trouble for others. She apparently couldn't stand the sight of me and tossed me out, giving me up for adoption. She then ended up committing suicide after living in depression after the rape. My sister was alive before this and she blames me for taking away mother from her.

_But why am I being blamed for her death?_ I didn't ask for her to get raped and have me. I didn't want to hurt my mother. I didn't want to have to be raised alone without a mother. I can't help but feel angry. Angry at my sister for blaming me for events I never caused. Angry at my mother for dying. Angry at her for leaving me alone in the world. Thankfully my father adopted me and took care of me, otherwise I would still be alone and probably more angry.

My thoughts continue to drift to my mother. Is she watching me from the afterlife right now? She probably is glad to finally see me about to die. She's about to watch me experience pain that she probably felt when she was dying. Well I hope your happy mother! I know I sure am not. Ironically though, you'll just end up spending time with me if I join you in the afterlife. Then again, I would finally be able to have a mother…

I push those thoughts away. She won't trouble me right now. Not ever. My focus needs to be on returning home to my father, my only _true_ family member. I happen to love my family and I'm not going to let him down like I've been let down…

* * *

><p><strong>Viz Candela's POV – District 5<strong>

When I'm left alone in the Justice Building, I drop my wide-eyed, shocked, and innocent mask. I can feel my face hardening to a more neutral, natural expression. I didn't want anyone seeing my apathy at the reapings. I wanted to be seen as a weak little child. The more people that underestimate me in the arena, the better.

Thankfully my partner is a terrified kid that looks about my age. I'm pretty sure we will be lumped together as the weak, young, cowardly District 5. All the better for me. It'll just make it more surprising for them, and more enjoyable for me, when I slit their throats and kill them.

The door in my room opens up and I see the only visitors I will probably get for the day: my little sister, Rez, my best friend, Watts, and his little brother, Volts.

Volts helps escort Watts to me. He has been blind ever since a run-in with peacekeepers about three years ago. The two brothers take their time to get to me but Rez doesn't wait. She runs over and clings to me as quick as she came in.

"Viz! Please! Don't go!" she begs me.

"Rez, you don't need to worry." I answer in the most comforting tone of voice I can produce. "I will be okay. I'll be back in a few days."

Rez doesn't look convinced. She still seems to be worried about my well-being. I don't understand why she doubts me. I know I can easily win the Hunger Games. I've already killed before the Games and I know I will not hesitate to kill anyone in the arena. After seeing everything I've seen in my life, from my parents' murder to watching Watts and other children being tortured by peacekeepers, nothing will phase me. The Games won't break me.

Rez doesn't seem to understand what I know. She never saw our parents being murdered by our uncle. She never saw him attempt to kill me and didn't see my retaliation that ended up getting him killed. She will probably never understand. She probably thinks I am going to die.

She stops looking at me and starts staring at the ground. Then I can hear her starting to cry. My eyes widen. I refuse to watch my little sister cry. The only thing I truly care about is her and I don't want to have her be in pain. I pull her closer to me.

"Rez, I promise you. I will not die. I'll come back to you." I tell her. The sincerity and genuine emotion in my voice surprises me. Leave it to Rez to bring out my emotions, something that I genuinely keep bottled up.

She stops crying but her eyes are still red. They narrow at me as she asks me a question. "You promise?"

"Yes. I promise." I reply to her.

"I'll make sure she stays safe while you are in the Games." Watts tells me, entering our conversation.

I turn to him and I almost smile. Almost. "Thank you. Take care of yourself as well. I don't want to see you in pain or anything either."

"Your sister and Volts will make sure I am okay probably." he shrugs.

My eyes narrow on his brother, who is standing awkwardly behind him. He's not a bad kid but I don't trust him. I don't trust anyone except Watts and Rez. Thankfully Rez can be there to him with his blindness.

A peacekeeper knocks on the door, hinting that our time is limited. Volts starts to motion to the door, grabbing Watts's hand.

"I think we should probably go. Before the peacekeepers come to get us." he tells him. Wants nods in understanding. "Good luck Viz. I know we'll be seeing you soon."

"I'll see you soon too. Make sure you guys stay healthy and alive." I inform them.

Watts chuckles a little as Volts escort shim out. They wave goodbye for exiting the room. Rez stays though. She wants to tell me something again.

"Promise me you'll come back! Please!" she repeats again.

"I promise." I tell her again.

Rez gives me another hug and a kiss before she walks to the door.

"I love you! I trust you!" she tells me.

"I trust you too…I love you…" I reply as she walks out.

When my visitors have left, I sit back down on my couch and just wait. I won't be having any more visitors. I guess I can start planning for the Hunger Games but I don't see the point. I can't do any accurate planning until I see who I'm up against. The only person I know is my district partner and he looks like a wimp. Easy prey in the arena. Other than him though, I don't know what to expect, so I can't do any true preparing. The only thing I can do is just wait.

After an hour or so, a peacekeeper comes to escort me to the train. I follow him and we walk towards the exit of the Justice Building. As we open the door outside, a peacekeeper comes inside and whispers something to him. My escort's eyes widen and he turns to me.

"Stay here. I'll be right back. We have something we need to take care of." he informs me before he follows his fellow peacekeeper out the door.

Before the door closes, I turn to look to see what's outside to see what's going on outside. I don't really care about what is bothering the peacekeepers but I'm bored and it might be interesting. When I look outside, I see a corpse laying on the ground outside. The corpse is wearing a peacekeeper's uniform and I can see blood dripping from his blonde hair to the ground. Before I can look to see anything else, the door has already closed. I try to open it to see more but it's locked.

Why was a peacekeeper shot? I start to wonder about this until I realize that I don't care. It doesn't truly concern me. What's one peacekeeper dead? It's probably some stupid reason why he's dead to. It doesn't concern me. There are more important things to think about.

Eventually the door opens and my escort takes me outside. There's no sign of a body being there. They must have removed it. That must have been what was so concerning to them. But why did all the peacekeepers need to attend a simple removal of the body?

Again I push the thoughts out of my head. It doesn't concern me. All that matters is that the Games are about to start. On the train, I'll be finally able to see the reapings of the other districts and see my competition. I can't wait to see who they are. I need to know who my competition is. I need to know who I have to kill in order to come home to Rez.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Here's the Justice Building! I tried to get up as fast as possible! :) was that good for you guys? All I have left is the train chapter, and then you know all the tributes! :D<strong>

**So what do you think of these eight? Any new favorites? Any new least favorites? Tell me in a review! I really enjoy reading your opinions! :)**

**I'll see you guys later! I'll be updating as soon as possible! Until then! :)**


	5. Train Ride to the Capitol

**Nelson Sieg's POV – District 11**

I stand right by a window as I watch the train depart from District 11. I watch the world I called home slowly fade away. I can no longer see any traces of the fields or agriculture of my district. It all doesn't feel right. A sick feeling develops within my stomach and my head. It's a miracle I haven't passed out or something.

Oh wait. I already did. At the reapings.

I technically didn't pass out, but I might as well have. I felt like it and I almost did until I was able to regain my composure. By then, it was too late. I already let the shock take over me and I was extremely hesitant walking up to the stage. I no doubt blew any chances of getting sponsors. To them, I was probably just another scared tribute being forced into the arenas. I didn't stand out.

I start to scowl at this. Why didn't I stand out? Growing up the youngest, I know that I need to crazy or interesting things to get attention. I'm used to it. I'd always compete with my older siblings to get my parent's attention. I've been pulling practical jokes and tricks on people for years now. I have more skill in getting attention than most people! So why did I have to blow it during the reaping, when I desperately needed to make an impression? The sick feeling I have starts to get even worse.

I need to get my mind off of the reapings. Focused on other things. I decide a walk around the train would help clear my head. With the idea in my head, I start walking through the corridors in the train.

The train is much larger than it looked when I saw it from outside. There are many different rooms and sections on it. It's really surprising! I think one of these rooms is probably mine. A peacekeeper showed me which one was mine but I never went in and never paid him any attention. I wasn't really in the mood. I'll find out which one is mine later. I think that was the exact opposite thoughts of my district partner, Jamor. She hurried off in the direction her room was when we got on the train and I haven't seen her since. She looked beat red and as upset as I did, so it's probably not a stretch to think she probably locked herself in her room. Can't blame her. She's just trying to wake up from this nightmare. I'm trying to do that myself: just in a different way.

As I continue on my walk, I pass a small room where I can hear a faint sound. I stop and put my head to the door, curiously. My hearing is not the best after an encounter I had with tracker jackers a few years ago, so I have to concentrate on what I'm hearing. Soon I realize that it is singing. Someone is singing in the other room.

Curiosity overtakes me and I open the door. I see a woman in her late thirties sitting on a couch in the room, looking up at the ceiling. I can here her voice throughout the room, singing. I can't help but walk closer to her. As I do, I start making out the words she is singing.

_Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter_

_Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here_

_Here comes the sun_

_Here comes the sun, and I say_

_It's all right_

Her voice amazes me. Despite my problems with hearing, I enjoy listening to music. She seems to not have noticed me and keeps singing. Not like I have any problem with that. I just stand in my spot, listening to her sing.

By the time she finishes her song, I feel a need to know what she was singing.

"What song was that?" I ask her.

The woman gasps. She obviously didn't know I was in the room. I start wondering if its improper to walk into someone's room like that unannounced but I shrug it off. I always do that to my friends and family and this lady doesn't seem to mind. All she does is turn to me and give me a look of surprise.

Strangely enough, it is me who is more surprised. I recognize who she is. She is Seeder, the most famous and popular victor in District 11. She was the first of many things for a victor. After nineteen years of being bloodbath fodder, Seeder became the first victor from our district when she won the Twentieth Hunger Games. She also became the first person to win the Games without claiming a single life. The focus of her games was to live off the land and survive. She accomplished that as the other tributes merely killed each other off. The fact that she killed no tributes makes her rather popular to the people in our district and even a couple of the other ones! I certainly respect her. I know it's not possible in the Games today, since the gamemakers are now more likely to intervene to make the Games interesting, but I still respect the game she played of just living off the land.

She stares at me awkwardly. I take back what I said: I guess she was more surprised to see me. Still, she is the one to break the silence.

"It's called 'Here Comes the Sun.'" She tells me.

"I've never heard it before! It sounds pretty!" I tell her truthfully. It really was a magnificent song. I can only imagine what it would sound like with instruments accompanying her voice.

"Yes it is! And it makes sense you wouldn't. It's from the time before Panem." She laughs. "None of us are supposed to know those songs, since they 'contain messages that threaten the stability of Panem.' But I can't help myself from digging up facts and files on music we aren't supposed to know."

She must have gotten really comfortable with me all of a sudden. That's a very risky thing to admit: looking up files of music from the time before Panem. She probably can tell that I wouldn't rat her out to the peacekeepers. I know I wouldn't!

"Sorry for barging in like that by the way. I just heard you singing and I wanted to hear it better. You sound great!" I let her know.

"It's no problem at all! And thank you!" She laughs again, taking the compliment. She soon holds out her hand. "You're Nelson Sieg right? I'm Seeder. I'm going to be mentoring you and your partner this year."

I shake her head and nod. I already knew who she was but it never dawned on me that she would be my mentor. Kinda stupid I guess.

I start thinking that it would not be a bad idea to talk more with my mentor. About the Games. I'm one who prefers to be as prepared as possible when it comes to anything. The Games should be no exception.

"Seeder, do you mind talking to me? About the Games?" I ask her.

Her smile drops a little as she gives me a perplexed look. I think the Games probably are not the best thing to talk with her. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she finally speaks. "My fellow mentor and I are going to be discussing the Games with you and Jamor at dinner tonight. We have time to discuss things there."

I understand this. I think I remember being told about this dinner plan. Still, I feel as though I should be prepared for even that. I need to know what to expect. This is life or death. This is important; especially considering this is my life!

"I know, but do you mind telling me some things before hand? Maybe it'll make the dinner a little easier and faster. You won't have to answer too many questions from me." I inform her.

Seeder looks at the ground for a second than back to me. I can't read her face. Is she judging me? Judging my chances in the Games? I don't really know, but I don't like the look she's giving me. I'd prefer the awkward stare she gave me when she first saw me.

"…sure. Why not? I guess it'll help make the dinner a little easier." She finally says with a sigh.

I really don't think she likes talking about the Hunger Games. I make a mental note to apologize later. For now though, I need to talk to her. I need to be prepared. I need to find a way to come back home.

"Thank you so much!" I tell her sincerely. I can't apologize yet, but I can at least be truthful about other things.

She gives me a smile again before we start talking about the Games. Little things most people don't know. I know she is going to help give me a chance in the Games. After some advice and discussion, I have a feeling I will be ready. I'm going to make sure I can come back home to my family!

* * *

><p><strong>Roshan Alicia Davis's POV – District 12<strong>

When a peacekeeper brought me to my room, I can't help but stare at everything in it. The room is so large and clean. I can't help but feel uncomfortable and out of place in it. I come from the Seam in District 12. I've never had anything like the things I see in this room…my room! It feels…weird being here. I'd much rather be in the small house in the middle of the Seam with my family.

_My family._ I wonder what my family is doing right now. They seemed devastated when they visited me at the Justice Building. Are they eating right now? Will they be able to eat without me? I play a major part in providing for my family through hunting in the forest outside of the district (illegally but a couple of other people go out as well). I actually bring in more food and money than my parents can combined. I hope they will all be able to manage without me, especially if…

_No!_ I can't think about the chances of not coming home. I know they need me! I need to be there to help them! I need to win! I know I can win!

Thinking about the Seam and my family makes me even more uncomfortable in my room. I walk out of the room, wanting to feel better.

The hallways in the train still feel nicer than what I am used to seeing but feel less elegant than my room. I continue to walk through the train, trying to make myself more at ease.

As I walk to the other side of the train, I see a door open. I tense up, not wanting to talk to anyone. When the door is completely open, I see my district partner, Damien I think his name is.

He turns to me and smiles. I scowl in response. The idea of getting to know Damien does not appeal to me. We are going to have to kill each other to come home. I can't trust him. Besides, he was laughing the reaping. It wasn't a maniacal laugh or anything, but what of person finds the reapings funny?

"Feels weird, doesn't it?" he asks me, referring to the train. Or maybe he's talking about the Games itself. Either way, I agree, so I nod. He laughs in response: that same laugh from the reapings. I feel myself tense up again.

We stand in silence for maybe a few seconds before he speaks again. "Can I walk with you?"

My immediate reaction is to say no but I end up nodding my head for some reason. I have no clue what came over my head. He gives me another smile though as he joins me on my walk.

We walk in even more uncomfortable, tense silence for awhile before he breaks the ice.

"Have you ever thought about the Capitol is going to look like?" Damien asked.

I look at him funnily. What is he getting at…?

"Well imagine: the only person we've met from the Capitol is our escort, Adonis. So what if the Capitol is full of people like him? Can you imagine a city of only huge men with silver hair?" He asks me.

He starts laughing at his joke. I bite back the urge to laugh with him. The thought of a whole city of people like Adonis _is_ actually funny! A little scary, but a little funny! Still, I try to fight off the urge to laugh. That's actually something I feel like asking about.

"Why do you laugh so much?" I ask bluntly.

He looks at me strangely before he just shrugs. "Humor and laughter make everything better. It brightens up even the darkest of moments."

"Even this one?" I ask him disbelievingly.

"Even this one." He replies.

Damien looks down a little and I can see the faintest twitch of a frown on his face. The boy is a bit of surprise. His view on life is something I hadn't heard of before. Does humor really have that much of an impact on anything?

"…a city of people like Adonis would be scary. I would feel even worse about the Capitol if it was run by people like him." I joke lightly, experimenting with a joke.

The frown on the boy's face seems to go away and he's back to laughing again. I can't help but laugh as well. I actually start feel more at ease. A little more comfortable. _Maybe you're right Damien. Maybe laughter is a good thing…_

The boy and I continue to talk a little more. I start to learn more things about him and he learns about me. He's a good kid. I can't say I trust him, because I don't trust many people at all, but I at least understand him. I guess this is probably going to make it harder to kill him, but I can't help but hope that if I don't win that he would win and be able to return to his brother…

_No! I won't die! I will be coming home! I have a family of my own I need to come back!_ I reaffirm that view in my head as we continue to talk. I feel more at ease but I know what I need to do! I will win the Games. Not for me, but for my family…

* * *

><p><strong>Corbin Devereux's POV – District 8<strong>

I wake up from my name. I look around, expecting my nightmare to be over and in the warm bed in my house. Unfortunately, I didn't wake up. I'm still in my room on the train. I'm still a tribute in the Hunger Games, being sent off to my death.

I'm a little surprised that I'm not more devastated right now. I was at the Reapings and the Justice Building. My family and friends were when I saw them at the Justice Building. Right now, I just feel hollow. I guess I can't cry or anything anymore. Probably used all my tears.

One thing I do feel though is anxious. I can't stand still. Probably nerves speaking, but I can't just sit in my room and do nothing. With these feelings, I walk to the door and head out of my room and into the corridors in the train.

I keep walking through the train until I see a door open. Out comes someone that completely shocks me: I see Rosie, my childhood best friend and the girl I left behind at the Reapings! What is she doing here? I don't mind seeing her here, but why would she be on board? She isn't the girl tribute thankfully!

"Rosie?" I speak to her.

"Hmm?" She mumbles in confusion, turning to me.

It's at this moment that I realize Rosie is not here. Actually, the girl I was talking to looks nothing like her! This girl has golden brown hair and blue eyes, completely different from Rosie's black hair and dark brown eyes. This girl also looks younger than her. Their skin color is different. She is definitely not my best friend!

…_my mind is playing tricks on me. I have no clue why._

"Sorry, I just mistook you for someone else." I reply sheepishly. "I'm Corbin, by the way."

"It is fine." She tells me. "I'm Faith!"

_Faith._ My district partner. Truth be told, I never got a good look at her when she was called at the Reapings. So this is my partner…

"What are you doing out?" I ask her, trying to start some conversation. If we are both going into the Games together, it might be a good idea to get to know each other. Allies wouldn't hurt after all, right?

"Probably the same thing you're doing." She sighs as she rolls her eyes. "I couldn't sit still in my room."

"Same." I reply. She was right: same reason.

She gives me a look and I can't help but notice that she looks cute. It's probably just the look is giving me though. She reminds me again of Rosie a little. Just younger and…_ah! What am I even thinking?_

Silence falls over us. She is still giving me that same look. I open my mouth to end the silence but she cuts me off.

"What do you want exactly?" She asks me rather bluntly. Her tone is sharp: harsher than previously. It takes me aback a little.

"S-Sorry. Just felt like talking to someone and you're my partner so…yeah sorry!" I mumble.

"It's fine. Sorry, that probably sounded a little harsh." She apologizes, looking a way for a second before turning back. "I'm just nervous and I tend to get feisty, as my dad would put it, when I get nervous."

"What are you nervous about? I ask curiously. "The Games?"

"You're a smart one, aren't you?" she replies dryly. I roll my eyes a little, which causes her to laugh. She then gets a serious face again when she continues. "Yeah, I'm worried about them. They keep staying on my mind."

"Well think of something else to get your mind on! Tell me about yourself!" I tell her, hoping to get thinking on something else.

"Wh-What? Why?" she mumbles nervously. I sigh: my attempt to make her more at ease didn't work.

Silence comes over us for the second time. I open my mouth to speak, but again I am cut off by her speaking. "Um…I live with my father. I'm sixteen years old. I-"

"You're sixteen? No way!" I interrupt her, surprised. _There's no way!_ Rosie is fifteen and she looks way older than this girl! Heck I look older than this girl! What the heck?

"Yes, I look younger than I am! So what?" She huffed, turning away. I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

Yeah, I think I'm going to like her. It might not be a good idea to enter the Hunger Games with a friend, since only one of us comes out, but I can't help but feel like I need one. Everyone needs one ally at least!

Faith and I continue to talk nonsense stuff, just hanging out. I think I might have helped her forget the Games for awhile. I know I stopped thinking about them for awhile. I felt at ease: a little like I was back home In District 8, away from the Hunger Games…

* * *

><p><strong>Lily Walden's POV – District 9<strong>

Hours after the reaping, I still feel the horrible feeling in my stomach that came when the escort called my name. Perhaps it is actually worsened, now that I am in my room on the train heading towards the Capitol. Heading towards the Hunger Games. Heading towards pointless death.

I fight back the urge to throw up. I hate violence and bloodshed, which the Hunger Games represent. I have never understood how the Capitol citizens enjoy watching the Games. I never watch them, even though they are required. I find some way to zone the games out or turn away from them. I can't stand to watch twenty-three kids my age being murdered in horrible, gruesome ways.

That's probably an advantage the other tributes have on me. Even if they disagree with the Games, they are probably more familiar about them and what to do in them. I'm not. That's going to be a major setback in the Games…

_But do I even want to win the Games?_ I am a pacifist. I hate violence! I can not kill anyone. I still remember how it felt when my brother was executed (for his 'rebellious' tendencies). The pain still hasn't left. I still remember him and the last night I was with him before he was taken away and sent to death. I know I can't do that to other people.

_But what about my family?_ How will my parents feel if I die? My siblings? This won't be the first loss for them, but can they handle another? And what about Bobby, my sweet boyfriend? No, I could never let him feel sorrow at my death.

I've always disliked the Capitol and the Hunger Games but this is the first time I feel true hatred towards it. This is how it feels for any tribute of the Games. I can't believe that the Capitol is this sick that it puts twenty-four innocent children through this each year!

_Calm yourself Lily! Just stay calm!_ I can't think too much about this. I need to be as calm and collected as possible. I need to think of the best possible way to approach the Games.

There has to be some way I can win the Games without killing another tribute. I've heard about it before. A girl from District 11 had accomplished that years ago. Maybe it is still possible! Or maybe I can, at least, avoid directly killing tributes. I am good with traps and machinery, so maybe…

_No!_ Those are last precaution thoughts if they are needed! Right now, I should spend time thinking about how I can win the Games without killing another tribute. My primary focus will be my survival. I refuse to let another innocent human die by my hand…

A sudden knock on the door disturbs my thoughts. My eyes widen in surprise as I stare at the door, waiting to hear a response. 'Dinner' was the only word I heard from beyond the door.

I start walking out of my room, heading in the direction of wherever dinner is. My mind is still on the Games. I can do it! I just need to focus solely on my survival! Avoid all tributes!

A small smile creeps on my face. I honestly believe I can do it. If it's been done once before, it can happen again. Maybe that's me being naïve, but I am a rather optimistic person. I believe it is possible and I'm going to do my best to make sure that it does. I will leave the Hunger Games without a single kill on my hands. I'll make sure of that!

* * *

><p><strong>Akira "Aki" Himura's POV – District 7<strong>

When the peacekeeper left me alone in my room, I stand still in my room and just think. Today's been a pretty hectic day. My mind's completely focused on the Games and the Reapings. This is probably not healthy to have my mind focused on them. I need to get my mind off the Games for even just a few minutes!

With that thought in my mind, I bow in silence before I start practicing forms from Omei-Wushu Kung Fu. I continue to practice this form of martial arts that my father taught me.

My mind is completely away from the Games. All I can think about is the motion and position of my body. The ferocity of my attacks. I continue to practice various forms I've learned from my father.

When I take a break from practice, my mind is already drifting to my thoughts again. _Father._ Some say he was the only practitioner of Omei-Wushu Kung Fu alive today. Some say that was why he was executed a few months ago: for 'knowledge of the violent arts.' I know the truth though: he was not the only one to know. I learned this form of martial arts from him. I know that it is not 'violent' but rather graceful. I also know that's why he wasn't executed because of just this knowledge. The knowledge of the martial arts may have had a part in his execution, but it was more so to do with 'treason.'

I can't help but sigh, thinking about all of this. It was only a few days after he was executed that I felt the desire to continue with his work. He had finally spoken up against the corruption in District 7 and all of Panem. He wanted the chance to right the wrongs of the government. I wanted to accomplish all that he wanted to fix, but I guess I can't now. I've been reaped. District 7 probably worked to get me reaped because of these 'treasonous' ideas.

It doesn't mean that I can't do my part here! I can try and help fix the corruption from within the Games! And maybe I will be able to return home to do it…

Can I win though? I don't think I have the heart to kill someone else. I think I am more likely to die for someone else! I guess I am going to have to but…will I be able to?

I push these thoughts out of my head. No use thinking about that now. I'll worry about 'killing other tributes' in the arena. Right now, I need to just stay calm. Work on my skills. Think of anything else.

I get in formation to practice more forms again until I hear a knock on the door. A peacekeeper mumbles something from the other side. I think it's about dinner starting soon. I sigh. I guess I can practice my martial arts after dinner. With that, I walk out and head in the direction of where dinner will be.

When I arrive in the room, I'm surprised to see nobody in there. The mentors aren't here. Our escort isn't here! I guess I'm the first in. Weird…

"Hello." A voice greets me.

I gasp a little bit in surprise before scanning the room. On closer examination, I see another boy in the room. He's my district partner for this year. Baroque I think his name is? I'm not for certain. He blends in well with the surroundings around him though. I didn't even notice him when I walked in!

"Hello there, um…" I hold out my hand to greet him while I try to think of his name. I think it's Baroque but I just want to be sure.

"Brock." He tells me, shaking my hand. I guess I was right to not address him as Baroque then!

I end up sitting down next to him. We sit in silence. I can already tell he is not much of a talker. I can respect that. We just sit there and wait: wait for everyone else to show up.

I take this time to study my partner. He's a tall, big strong, tanned-skin guy with shaggy black hair and green eyes. He has the exact opposite appearance of me, a somewhat short girl of Asian descent (something I'm not for certain what it means exactly: apparently there used to be other continents besides North America before Panem took control) with brown eyes and a scar on my left cheek. Still, I can feel similarities between him. Something about his eyes shows me that he doesn't want to be here for the same reasons. He doesn't think he can kill. He probably also has siblings he is looking after that he had to leave behind…

_Siblings! My brothers! _I hope Shinta and Kenji are okay. I trust they will be fine, but I can't help but worry about them. I worry about what will happen to them in District 7 while I'm gone. They wouldn't be executed because of father, would they? No, they couldn't! I shouldn't think such things! That'll just make me more nervous! I can't afford to think that way!

I can feel more determination to win come into my body. I need to win for my brothers. I need to make sure they are okay. I know I can do it! I will find some way to do it! Even if I have to kill…hopefully I can find a way around killing…but I will come back! To finish my father's work and to take care of Shinta and Kenji!

* * *

><p><strong>Robert "Big Bob" Zorn's POV – District 10<strong>

When we got on the train and it started heading to the Capitol, a peacekeeper escorted me to my room. I was shocked when I saw it. The room was so large and filled with rooms within it. It was so clean and expensive looking. The bed looked extremely comfy just from where I was standing.

I hate it. I hate it all so much. Immediately I jump on my bed and start pounding my fist into the bed. I want it to know that I hate it. I want it to be torn apart. I want to show it how angry I am!

I have no clue why I hate my bed and everything else in this room so much. It should really be no surprise to me though. I hate everything. I hate my parents and my little brother for leaving home and leaving me by myself. I hate District 10 for being dedicated to animals and making me have to work there. I hate the Capitol because I hate watching the Hunger Games. It takes too much time out of my day. I pretty much hate everything in the world. Right now, besides the room I'm in, I currently hate the little boy that I volunteered for. Why did I even volunteer for that stupid brat again?

Oh yeah. That's right. Because I hate District 10. I got angry that the little boy got the chance to leave the district. I wasn't going to let that happen. No, _I'm going._ I'm leaving the stupid cow-filled District 10. So I volunteered for the stupid brat. And now I'm in the Hunger Games. I normally hate the Games but I like them right now. It's the perfect scenario for me. I get to leave my stupid district and go somewhere else. The only catch is that I have to kill a couple of other people but that doesn't really matter. I'm going to hate them all when I meet them and I'll enjoy ripping them apart.

I keep punching the bed. I think I am starting to make a mark in it when I hear a knock on the door.

"Robert? It's time for dinner. Your mentors are waiting for you!" A voice tells me.

_Robert!_That's another thing I hate. I hate my name! My name is not Robert! I am Big Bob, cause I am big and Bob-like! I'm freakishly tall and freakishly muscled. Some doctor nerd guy was trying to explain that I had something that caused me to have a massive growth spurt or something. I don't know what he was saying. He used too many big words and I punched him for confusing me. Needless to say, he doesn't meet with me anymore.

I decide to get up and walk out the door and head to dinner or whatever it's time for. I was starting to get bored I guess of my bed. Maybe at dinner there's something a little more fun to hit. And I can always come back to my room to beat up my bed later!

When I arrive at the place where dinner is supposed to be, I see that I'm not the only person there. The girl that was reaped, somebody named Ellie, was already there. So was that stupid escort lady that tried to talk to me too much at the reapings. The other two people I don't know. One of them is a short guy with blonde hair and green eyes. The other is a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands out particularly in my mind. I can just tell that I hate her already.

"Good to have you here Big Bob!" escort lady announces. She remembers the name I told her was my name. I make a note to hate her less than the other four in the room.

When I sit down, everyone is allowed to start eating. I find myself just grabbing pieces of meat after meat. It tastes so good! I've never had this much good meat!

"…so what skills do you guys have? Anything you guys can tell us can help us help you in the Games." The guy I don't know asks.

I can hear Ellie answering his question but I keep eating. Screw him! He can't help me! I don't need help! I grab a piece from the chicken on the table and start eating it.

"Hey! I'm speaking to you!" I hear the guy yell. I guess he's now trying to talk to me, knowing I ignored him. Whatever. I continue to ignore him and keep eating.

"Robert, you should really listen to us! We are trying to help!" The girl informs me in a cold, demanding voice.

"Meh name is Big Bob, you little piece of-" I start but the girl cuts me off.

"Okay. _Big Bob,_ we are here to help you!" She tells me. "Answer his question. What skills do you have? Any strengths?"

"Screw you woman! I don't want your help!" I spit out.

"You will address me by my name! My name is Tanith! And you need our help!" The woman fires back to me.

"Whatever Taniff. Ya can't help me. Don't need no stinking help!"' I inform her.

"It's Tani_th_!" She corrects.

Oh my God, she _is_ really annoying! Oh God, I hate her! I knew I was going to hate her but I didn't think this much! It's very hard to resist the urge to grab her by the neck and strangle her to death. Actually, that doesn't sound bad. Come on Taniff! Say one more thing! I dare you!

"It don't matter Taniff! Just shut up before I hurt ya!" I threaten.

"I dare you. Try me." She hisses.

She dared! I can feel myself getting excited. I stand up and immediately move my fist over to her. To my surprise, she is easily able to dodge it. She's then all of a sudden right by neck, holding a dinner knife to it. I can make out the scream of our escort and the shocked gasp of Ellie but I don't really care. I can feel anger flow through my body. _What did that stupid woman do? How did she get so close to me?_

"What the crap woman?" I shout.

"I can tell you have brute strength but you don't have the minds to win the Games. You are too cocky, loud, and stupid. Consider this my help: think before you do anything. It might help you live in the Games!" She tells me in a voice that actually brings chills down my spine.

After those words, she leaves. I'm left alone with my terrified escort, my scared district partner, and the amused guy who is supposed to be helping that woman. Now that she is gone, I can feel the cold spell that went over my spine heating up. I can feel the anger rising within me. I walk out of the room and look at her retreating figure.

"Screw you! Ya don't know nothing!" I yell. "I'm a win the Games. You'll see!"

"Work on your grammar and speaking. And your temper. Try and form a coherent sentence without throwing a temper tantrum before you try to have a conversation with me again." she fires back, not even looking back at me.

The anger rises up again. I hate her. I hate her more than I hated anything in my life. That's it! I'm proving her wrong! I'm winning these Games! I may not be the smartest guy but I'm definitely the strongest! I will kill all of the stupid tributes I can find, and after I get out, I'm coming for her!

* * *

><p><strong>Lenora Lemings's POV – District 3<strong>

When we were brought to the train, I stayed in the room the peacekeeper escorted me to. I personally enjoy spending time by myself but I feel more than ever that I need my alone time. I just feel like a mess. I'd rather not have more people see me like this.

I thought today was supposed to be a good day. I had just finished the designs for my newest project, a backup generator for my house during the blackouts. Lumera and Gabriel, my sister and her fiancée, were going to go with me after the reapings to buy the necessary materials and parts. I was then going to build the generator and help save my family energy. I guess all the plans were for nothing, now that I've been reaped for the Hunger Games.

I walk up to a mirror in my room and stare at my reflection. Yeah, I do look like a mess. My eyes are red from years. My pale face is flushed red from nerves. The only thing that sill looks in order is my vibrant auburn hair, which I immediately move my hands to it when I notice it. It has always been my favorite physical trait and seeing it in order makes me feel a little bit…better I guess?

I lose track of time in the room. I don't know how time goes fast, considering that I am not doing anything entertaining, but eventually I hear a knock on the door from a peacekeeper.

"It's time for dinner. Don't keep your mentors waiting." The peacekeeper orders from the other side of the door.

"Yes sir!" I reply to him. He doesn't wait for a response. I assume he already left.

I really don't feel like going to dinner and talking to others but I know it would be impolite to do so. With a sigh, I get up and walk out of my room.

On the way to the room where dinner is, I walk past another room. The door is opened and I see somebody walk out. I soon notice that it is my district partner, Benedict.

"Lenora." He greets me coldly as he joins me, walking by my side.

"Hello…" I mumble as politely as possible despite my nerves.

We walk in silence. I try and avoid looking at my partner. Benedict scares me. He's rather savage looking: almost like a career. He's very cold and looks at me with bloodlust. Actually, it's not just the way he looks at me: it's what he does as well. He's already threatened to kill during the reapings! He wants me dead! He's not making me look forward to the Games anymore. If my district partner of all people wants me dead, then what will the other tributes think of me? I don't that that I'll be able to find any allies in the Games if they are all like him…

Our silent walk ends when we reach the room where dinner is held. We are the last ones there. Our escort, Aelia, and our mentors are there.

"Hello you guys!" Aelia greets us with a smile.

"Good afternoon Aelia! I trust you are doing well?" Benedict asks her with a smile. A warm smile. _What is this?_ How can he switch from being so cold to so warm in a second?

"I am great thanks! How are you?" she replies with a friendly tone. I decide this is the time to zone out their conversation. I don't know how Benedict gets along with her so much, but it's making me uncomfortable.

I sit down and decide to talk a look at the mentors. Immediately, my eyes widen. I recognize our female mentor, Wiress, but the male one means a little more to me. He's Beetee, the most famous victor from District 3. He was certainly not the strongest kid when he was put into the fortieth annual Hunger Games but he was able to outwit the other twenty-three. He was able to make a device that electrocuted the other tributes. Seven years later, the boy still looks just as smart as he did when he entered.

_Maybe he can teach me how he made that weapon. _Beetee may be able to show me how to make such a device. I am definitely not the strongest tribute coming into the games, but I am rather intelligent. Maybe with his help…

"You must be Lenora! It's a pleasure to meet you." Beetee interrupts me from my thoughts as he extends a hand out. "My name is Beetee. This is Wiress. We are your mentors this year."

He's looking at me a little funny. I wonder if he knows that I was thinking about him. About his methods. I need to talk with him about this. I can stand a chance with his help. I start to smile as I shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Beetee!"

Maybe I can get back home to build that generator that I designed. Maybe I will be able to return back to my family…

* * *

><p><strong>Cannon Estate's POV – District 2<strong>

The second dinner was over, our escort and mentors rushed me and my district partner to a different room to watch the reapings. They kept stressing the importance of it. I'm excited myself to see the competition! I need to see who else I'm competing against and who the other careers are. I'll be watching attentively.

"Make sure you all pay close attention to the tributes. Know them well. Know exactly how to kill them. I expect nothing less from District Two tributes." The male mentor and last year's victor, Brutus, informs me and my partner.

My partner, Inara, scoffs at his words. I shrug at the advice. I already know this. I've been planning for the Games since I was six years old! Eleven years of practice have done me well. I know everything about the Games and I'm ready.

Our escort, a tall drunken man with purple hair named Bacchus, puts in a tape and the reapings start to show. The first one to come up is District 1. These guys will probably be joining me and my partner in the career alliance. I have to make sure they fit to standards. As I think this, I see two tributes that don't disappoint me. The girl is rather excited and strong, making a show about punching another volunteer. The guy also seems to be tough. He at least has confidence, since he threatened to kill any possible volunteers. Both of them seem very cocky. I'm sure they can back up some of their cockiness, but I know that they will be easily exploitable when it comes time for the career breakup.

The clip than switches to a familiar site: the District 2 reapings. I watch Inara walk up, pissed at something. I follow right behind, walking calmly and smoothly. I made a show of my walk up to the center. I wanted Panem to see me for who I am: I am Cannon Estate. As an Estate, I am meant to be strong and invincible. I am representing my family during the Games. I need to make sure I represent my family. At the very least, I hope Father sees me and is proud.

I intend to blow off District 3, since they tend to amount to nothing in the Games. The girl seems just like I thought she would be. The boy on the other hand is a shock. He's a volunteer and he looks tough. He reminds me of some of the careers my district has produced! I make a mental note to either recruit him in or watch out for him.

District 4 is next and the tributes are as I expected: strong but not as good as the other career districts. Heck, the District 3 male impressed me more than both of them! The girl was a volunteer and seemed confident, but I didn't get much of a feel for her. Unlike what she said, I don't see her as the victor for this year's games. Of course not! I'm this year's victor after all! Still, she didn't impress me too much and the guy seemed to have a limp of sorts. He seems like deadweight. Not to impressive this year District 4. Perhaps you two will end up like last year's tributes…

District 5 and 6 come up and I feel as if they are the same thing: bloodbath fodder. The two from District 5 are just little kids. They won't last more than a few minutes in there! The girl from District 6 seems a little more intriguing. She may survive the bloodbath, but I can't see her lasting long. I think there is something up with her though, but I don't really care. As for the District 6 guy, he pisses me off for some reason. Something about him. I can't really tell though. All I know is that I don't like him. He is bloodbath fodder. I'll make sure of that personally!

District 7 is the same as each year: stronger tributes than the other districts but not as good as the careers. The girl may be short, but she has some toughness to her. The guy's also big and has muscle on him. Their district does produce some good tributes. They never win that much though. These ones will be no exception. I'll make sure of one of them goes down in the bloodbath.

District 8 and 9 bore me. I honestly remember nothing about their tributes. Eh, whatever. I'm not missing much I bet.

District 10 starts off the same as the two previous ones. I honestly could tell you nothing about the girl. The guy, on the other hand, is huge! He looks like a monster from fairytales: a tall giant made of pure muscle. He's also screaming some incoherent nonsense at the escort and the little kid he volunteered for. I can't even make out what he's saying! I can tell he's dumb, but he's definitely tough. Maybe career material? I'll see!

After him, the reapings might as well be over. District 11 doesn't stand out. They give us a little girl who looks like she wants to run away and a boy who nearly faints! Pathetic! As for District 12, they never amount to anything. This year won't be any different.

When District 12 is up, Bacchus stops the tape. Brutus than turns to me and Inara.

"Opinions?" He orders us to give them.

"The careers and the boys from District Three and Ten stood out to me. Also maybe the Seven tributes. Other than that, they're all easy prey." I tell him

"I'll add the girls from Three, Eight, and Nine and the boy from Six. Especially the boy. He seems pretty smart." Inara mentions her opinion.

"Really? Him? He won't last long!" I inform her.

"You clearly don't value intelligence. He seems very intelligent. I guess you don't recognize the true threats are the smart ones." She mumbles.

"Are you insinuating something?" I ask her angrily as I stand up, tightening my fist. She certainly didn't insult my intelligence. I am an Estate! No, more than that, I am Cannon Estate! I am the very representation of perfection!

"No, what made you think that?" Inara rolls her eyes at me.

"Both of you shut up!" Brutus yells at us. He seems irritated at us and wants us gone now. "You will head to your rooms and think about the Games! I will talk to you individually about them later! For now, you both are dismissed!"

We both nod at his words and walk out of the room. Inara and I don't give each other another glance. I respect her strength and I like her sarcasm, but I do not approve of her disrespect towards me and my family's name! We will have a long discussion about this: something I'll make sure she won't forget! For her sake, we better have it before the arena…

She's wrong anyway! The smart ones? Please! The boy from 6 does not classify as one of the 'smart ones.' He doesn't! I'll make a note to shove it in Inara's face when I prove he is nothing: when I kill him in the bloodbath.

When I get to my room, I fall on my bed and think. I have the Games won. I just saw the reapings and after seeing my competition, I know I have this. I will win the Games. This will be easy. I will win and show Panem the true strength of the Estate family!

I slowly start to fall asleep. I can already hear the trumpets announcing my victory at the Games. I can't help but smirk, knowing the outcome of this year's Hunger Games before anyone else does.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hello everybody! Here's the train chapter! :) I tried to update quickly! It wasn't as fast as I wanted it to be, but I got it up! Hope you all enjoyed it :)<strong>

**So here were the last eight tributes. Any new favorites? Any new least favorites? What do you think of all twenty-four? Any predictions, now that you know who they all are? Please review and tell me your thoughts! :D  
><strong>

**I'm finally getting to the Capitol! Soon, we'll be in the arena, where the fun truly begins! :D I'll be updating as soon as possible! Until then though! :)**


	6. Welcome to the Capitol

**Lily Walden's POV – District 9**

A knocking on my bedroom door wakes me up from my sleep. I get up, a slight frown on my face. I can barely register the voice speaking to me from the other side of the room until it gets louder.

"We are close to the Capitol! Get dressed and hurry on out!" The voice repeats again loudly. I don't recognize it, so it must belong to a peacekeeper instructed to get me up.

"Coming." I reply in a tired voice. My answer satisfies the guy, who doesn't respond. I assume he walked away.

I yawn as I get out of bed. I really don't want to leave the comfort that I felt while I slept. I was having a really good dream, although I don't even remember it. Maybe it wasn't even the dream that was good. It might have been the fact that while asleep, I wasn't thinking of the Hunger Games. It was like any night at home, away from the Games.

The thoughts of yesterday and the overall dread attempt to take over me again but I push the thoughts away. It was yesterday that I came up with my goal to win the Games without a single kill on my hands and I plan on accomplishing it. My optimism is enough to keep me calm and my mind away from the overall dreadful feelings. I am able to keep my mind away from it as I put on clothes and walk out of my room.

I walk around the train, looking for any of my mentors or escort. Really I'm looking for anybody! It dawns on me that I probably should have asked that peacekeeper where I was supposed to go when we were about to arrive at the Capitol, but I guess it's too late to think about that. I just have to start looking for people now!

Soon, I find an open door where I can see the silhouette of a familiar boy: my district partner, Iago. I walk in and see him looking out of a window, our mentors and escort there in the room.

"There you are Lily!" Our escort, a short blue woman named Ariel, tells me. "Come over here! Look out at the Capitol! The people are waiting to see you guys!"

_Oh? We really are that close?_I thought we were just approaching the Capitol! I hurry over to the window, standing right next to Iago. I notice his eyes are wide and fixed on the world outside. I don't know him all too well yet, but he seems like a smart guy who is rarely shocked. What could have made him surprised?

When I put my head out of the window, I see what has him so surprised. I find myself looking out into the Capitol.

The city is nothing like District 9. There are no small shacks that we would call houses or 'dirty' factories anywhere. The whole city is filled with tall, colorful buildings that seem to go all the way up into the sky. The design of the buildings actually intrigues me! If I had the time, which I know I never will, I would love to be able to examine them and see how they were made. Various lights are flashing around the city and I can see fireworks going off in the sky, probably dedicated to the start of the Hunger Games in a few days. As the train continues to go through the city, I see people at every corner of the street. They are screaming and shouting, watching the train go by. Their screams grow larger whenever they see my head or Iago's head.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I hear Ariel ask us, her smile evident even though I'm not even looking at her.

Beautiful isn't the word I would use to describe the Capitol, so I remain quiet. Sure the city was huge, bright, and clean and the buildings were extraordinarily designed, but I can't help but feel mildly disgusted. This is the city where the Hunger Games takes place in. This is the city where innocents have been slaughtered for the past forty-eight years. This feels almost like a graveyard. I don't see any beauty in the city.

The cheering crowds of people don't make me feel any better about the city. I still can't believe that anyone would be _excited_ for the Games! Do they realize that twenty-three kids each year die in the Games? Or do they just not care? I can't imagine feeling that way! Surely these people care! But then why do they keep watching the Games? Why do they keep requesting them to be bigger and bloodier than the years before? How can they enjoy watching them?

The feeling of dread missing from this morning comes over me. I put my head back in from the window and sit down. I look down to the ground, not wanting to look into the eyes of my escort. I know she would not like my thoughts, so I'd rather just not talk about it.

"What do you both think?" She asks me, her smile still evident.

"The Capitol seems rather crude and disgusting to me. It certainly does not feel 'beautiful.'" Iago answers for me as he brings his head back in. I look up at him. His shock at the Capitol seems to have gone away. He seems angry at everything he's seen.

His words shock Ariel, who is so surprised that her mouth falls wide open, something I didn't even know people in real life did! I can see though a different reaction from our male mentor, an old man named Isaiah. He won the Fifth Hunger Games and has been seeing the effects of the Capitol and the Games for more than forty years now. He seems rather thrilled in Iago's reaction. His eyes lit up the second he said those words.

"Care to explain your thoughts in more detail, Iago?" He asks, trying to hide a grin from coming over his face. I think he enjoys the opportunity to get more digs against the Capitol in front of our escort.

"The city is too big. It's nothing like District Nine, which feels more like a home. This place doesn't feel right at all. It's also too bright! What's up with all the lights? And I can't help but be annoyed at all the people standing by and watching us. Are all Capitol citizens that loud?" Iago starts going on a mild rant about the Capitol. I notice that he doesn't mention the Hunger Games at all, but he doesn't really hold back his thoughts. He seems to enjoy his rant.

"The Capitol is the perfect home! Its jut not what you are used to! You should be more open to it!" Ariel huffs. "And the people of the Capitol are the most generous and nice people in all of Panem! They are certainly not annoying!"

"Oh I'm sure they are nice! I bet they are _dying_ to get to know us!" Iago answers slickly. His words seem to make Ariel feel better but I happen to notice the way he said the word 'dying.' That was definitely a slam against the Hunger Games.

I can't help but wonder if there was some purpose behind that rant. He seemed to go into much more detail the second Isaiah asked about it. Was it to appeal to his dislike of the Capitol? Maybe he's trying to get our mentor to favor him over me. Or maybe he just felt like jumping on the chance to insult the Capitol. I could easily understand those feelings! I feel them as well. He didn't say anything untrue. The Capitol doesn't feel right…

"What do you think Lily?" Ariel asks me. She's probably expecting a better reaction than the one my partner gave her.

I sigh. She would be disappointed with my thoughts. I don't want her to feel bad, but I won't lie to her. I sit down, trying to think of the easiest way to tell her how I feel about her city.

"…I don't like it." I finally say. Simple, but it gets my feelings across.

I can feel Ariel's surprise and disappointment at my answer but I really don't care. Nothing she can say will make me change my mind. I might try and make her feel better but I won't feel better about being here. My eyes remain ever fixed at the ground as my mind wanders about the city I've entered.

_Welcome to the Capitol Lily Walden. No…welcome to the Hunger Games._

* * *

><p><strong>Benedict Letat's POV – District 3<strong>

Looking from the window out into the Capitol was mystifying. My parents had told me stories of its beauty and its magnificence and I had seen it from viewings during the Hunger Games, but nothing could have prepared me for seeing it in person.

All of the buildings, the bright lights, the power that the city gives off…it all makes me feel at home. My parents were right. The Capitol truly is beautiful.

The cheers from the people only intensify my feelings. The Capitol citizens are the perfect citizens in Panem. They are the most beautiful and exemplary men and women in our country. I can't help but feel honored being in their presence. I don't fight the urge to blow kisses to them. I hear the cheering of the crowd get louder as they fight to reach and obtain 'my kisses.' Again, I feel honored.

"They seem to have taken a liking to you." Aelia notes with a laugh. "I figured they would! Who wouldn't, honestly?"

"I am grateful for that! It is an honor!" I tell her, grinning. "I hope they continue to like me during the Games! I'll make sure to give them a show they won't forget!"

"I know they won't! I know I'll still be rooting for you during the Games!" The escort tells me with a laugh.

I laugh with her. I notice that she immediately turns to Lenora, who was looking out the window. I think she realized that it might be unprofessional to have favorites so obviously, especially in front of the other tribute. Still, I can't blame her. Lenora isn't the most enjoyable person to be around. She represents everything I despise in the citizens of the districts.

"S-So Lenora! What do you think of the Capitol?" She asks her sheepishly. She is obviously trying to make an effort to make my partner feel like she doesn't favor me.

Lenora looks to her and has a troubled look on her face. She seems to be thinking about what to say before she gives an answer. "The lights are amazing. I'm impressed with how they work and the way the city was designed!"

_Could she be more obvious that she is from District 3?_ I can't hide my eye roll. I know we are from the technology district, but why does she, and every other person from our district while I'm thinking about it, have to be so focused on technology, designs, and how things work?

"It's all pretty amazing isn't it?" Aelia admits.

"Yeah…" Lenora mumbles in agreement. I notice a hint of distaste in her voice.

She doesn't know how to appreciate true magnificence! Mostly no one does! Still, she should feel something since she is in the presence of the Capitol. I don't know why I'm surprised that she doesn't feel the same respect that I do for it, but I am. It pisses me off.

"You should really look outside some more Lenora. It's beautiful!" I tell her.

I can see her body freeze up a little but she nods in response. She goes to the window and looks outside some more. I can tell she is doing this because I ordered her to. She's scared of me! If she's scared of me now, I'll make sure she is terrified when we get into the arena!

In a few minutes, I feel the train coming to a stop. I look outside again and see that we are arriving at a train station of sorts. I guess this is the end of the train ride. Finally, we are leaving this train! Finally, I will take my first stop on Capitol ground!

I give the Capitol one last look from the window before I turn away. I'll be seeing it soon. I'll be walking into it soon. I don't think I have ever felt this excited about anything in my life!

The door to exit the train opens and I immediately walk out. I see a crowd of people, most likely newscasters from the Capitol, waiting for me and Lenora. The second they see me, they get closer. I can hear various questions being fired at once about the Games. They are trying to find out information early in order to write stories and spread news about the tributes.

Aelia and my mentors told me that I can't stay long with the newscasters since there is a very important schedule to follow at the Capitol. I feel bad ignoring most of the Capitol newscasters but there's nothing I can do about it. I'll answer all their questions during my interview before the Games! And I'll make sure they get a show they can write and tell about through the Games!

_The Hunger Games are really here!_ In just a few days, I'll be entering the arena. I'll be taking my first kill. I'll be one day closer to coming out it as a victor. I'll be one step closer to receiving power and respect from the Capitol. While I intend to give the Capitol citizens a good show, I also have my own agenda to accomplish. The Games are part of my stepping stones to receiving power. I'll be able to achieve notoriety and influence through my victory. I'll be one step closer to becoming mayor of District 3 and creating a true district the Capitol would be proud of. And then I can maybe take my power further and gain even more influence in the Capitol. Who knows to what level? The sky is the limit after I win the Games!

With each step I take further into the Capitol and away from the train, I can feel the grin on my face growing larger. I feel the excitement in me about to burst. My mind is filled with my fantasies about the near and distant future. Everything is looking as bright as the beautiful city I am now in.

_It's an important day today Benedict. You have a schedule to follow. Enjoy it and follow it well._

* * *

><p><strong>Kai Seagray's POV – District 4<strong>

After we arrived at the Capitol, so many things happened at once that I can't even remember it all. I vaguely remember walking off the train and being bombarded by various people from the Capitol with questions about myself and my thoughts about the Games. After that, it is all a blur. I don't remember much of anything except being dragged to a large, wide silver room where a group of women called my prep team is working on me, making me 'presentable' to the Capitol.

The women mainly giggle amongst themselves as they mess with my body. I don't even know half of the stuff they are doing. All I know is that every once in a while, they tell me how 'perfect' I am and how the Capitol is going to love the 'new me.' This is usually repeated after they inflict some degree of pain on me from whatever the heck they are doing to me.

"You're not going to believe all the progress we are making with you!" One of the members of the prep team tells me between her giggles.

_Progress? Really? _I'm not too fond of my prep team. Their arrogance is rather annoying. Seriously, what was wrong with my appearance to them? Sure I was no Capitol supermodel, but I inherited most of my family's most 'appealing' traits: my striking gray eyes, my tanned skin, and my allegedly handsome features. I'm not one to compliment myself in this way, but I feel the urge to do so the more these women tell me how much better I am going to look after they 'fix' me.

The mentors of District 4, an older woman named Mags and our most recent Victor, Beck Rhydon, warned me and my partner to not insult our prep team. Apparently, this group has too much influence on our first impression to the Capitol and sponsors. As a result, I continue to bite my tongue during their little 'session' with me. The second I open my mouth, I'm going to regret it as I will fire some snarky comment about what they are doing.

"Hey hun, what happened to your leg?" One of the members of the prep team addresses me as she touches my left leg. No doubt she was going to 'fix' it and noticed that it was crooked.

I remember the advice my mentors gave me as I say as calmly and seriously as possible what happened. "I got in an accident when I was fourteen. I was on a fishing boat to help my parents collect the daily haul. Some heavy wind ended up coming and snapped our ship's mast, which fell and landed on my leg. It ended up crushing the bones in it completely. My leg has been crooked ever since."

The women take a second to look at me in surprise. I ignore it as my mind remembers that moment. The pain I felt then was incomparable to anything I have ever experienced. I couldn't walk for over a year after it and it's a miracle that I can still walk today! Thank God for that!

"We can try and get some work done on your leg! Make it look all normal and-" One of the women started to say before I cut her off rather quickly.

"That won't be necessary!" I explain. "I think the leg is a nice touch to my look. Makes me look rather strong and _natural!_"

The way I let the word 'natural' come out was dripping with sarcasm, making fun of whatever things the prep team were doing to my body to make me more presentable. They didn't seem to notice the sarcasm though.

"Most people don't walk around with crooked legs. That's certainly not natural sweetie!" The same woman tells me.

"I know that, but it's a part of me and I'd rather stay me." I reply. My sarcasm is probably a little more apparent now.

My prep team doesn't say anything else to me about it as they continue to work on different parts of my body. I wonder if they are dejected that I denied them access to my leg or if they just noticed that I was being sarcastic about this whole 'prep team session' process. Either way, they don't really say anything else to me. They just stay quiet as they continue to work with my body.

After a few more minutes of work, the prep team walked away from me and just started at me body. They then nodded before they started to speak.

"Alright, we are done. Your stylist will be showing up really soon. Make sure to listen to her when she tells you something!" One of the members informs me, maybe slightly making a reference to my refusal to let them work with my leg.

"Okay." I tell them simply. I don't really have much to say them right now. I kind of want them just to go.

They give me a wave goodbye before walking out, leaving me alone like I wished.

My eyes scan the room, looking for a mirror. I want to see what my prep team did to my body and all the changes they made to 'fix' my appearance. To my surprise and disappointment, I see no mirror. I guess I'll just have to wait in order to see what they did to me.

_And now I have to deal with some stylist person too._ I seriously hope that whoever this lady is, she is not like the women in my prep team. If she is, we are probably not going to get along too well. I'm not in the mood to be dealing with too many people like that, who see me and think they need to change who I am.

_I have a feeling today is only going to get longer from here._ I roll my eyes at the thought as I sit in my chair, waiting for my stylist to arrive.

* * *

><p><strong>Jamor "Jay" Lovet's POV – District 11<strong>

The second my prep team leaves me alone after finishing their job, I can feel myself get more relaxed and at ease. Only a little though. I still remember that painful, horrible experience of them standing around me, stripping me of my clothes and working to make me more presentable to the Capitol. All those people standing so close to me made me get extremely uncomfortable and nervous. I could feel my face getting redder during the whole session. I could hear my screams of pain getting louder every minute the session continued and their 'work' got more painful to me.

I'm safe for now from them. That's the only thought that makes me feel comfortable. Even then, though, I know I am not completely safe. My mind is still telling me that I have a stylist coming to see me. He will no doubt be doing the same things that the prep team did.

_I wonder if Berry had to go through all of this._ She was my best friend and was reaped four yeas ago. I wonder how she felt during this whole process, having to be worked on by the prep team and the stylist. I wonder if she felt the same way that I do. I wonder if she just wanted to leave.

Thinking of Berry and the Games makes me get more flustered. I also start feeling sad. Berry…didn't come back after the Games. She didn't make it past the bloodbath. No matter what the stylists and prep team did to her, it all didn't matter. What good is a good impression on the Capitol when you don't make it far enough to even get sponsors? What is the whole point of this prep team and stylist meeting? All it is doing is making me feel even more uncomfortable, nervous, and now depressed.

I can feel myself reaching for the necklace I am wearing. It's my district token…it was Berry's district token when she was put into the Games. On one hand, it makes me feel connected to her. I feel like she is with me, watching me and making sure I am okay. On the other hand, it puts an idea in my head that I'm going to have the same fate: that I'm going to die in the beginning to. It's not like that's too surprising to me: I didn't think I would survive long in the Games anyway. Still, thinking about my death doesn't make me feel good. I can feel a frown on my face intensifying and the redness in my face growing darker.

My thoughts were interrupted as I see a man walk into my room. He looks like an old man, probably in his late sixties or something. I can tell he's trying to hide his age though, as he has very bright, long golden hair that goes down his back. His glasses are also rather large and shiny and seem to sparkle in the little light of the room we are in. Still, I can see the faintest trace of wrinkles on his skin and I notice a slight slowness in his walk.

"You are Jamor right?" He asks me politely.

"Um…I go by Jay." I tell him softly, looking away.

"Well it's nice to meet you Jay! I'm Daedalus, the stylist for District Eleven this year!" He tells me, extending his hand out.

I feel hesitant but I reach for his hand and shake it. He lets go and then starts pacing around me, observing me. I hate this kind of attention, so I just look down to the ground.

I can feel my body shake as I feel his hands go into my hair: the silky black hair I always wore in a ponytail. I really don't like him touching my hair like that. I instinctively start biting on my lips, wishing for him to stop.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful hair? I'm actually a little jealous! It's much softer than mine and any tribute I've ever worked with!" He tells me with a small laugh.

"Th-Thanks…" I mumble nervously, still wishing for him to let go of it.

"You know, have you ever thought to just lay it down? Put it out of its ponytail? I'm sure it would make you look more beautiful and stand out to the Capitol!" He let's me know.

"Um…I kind of prefer it this way." I tell him. I know my mentors, Seeder especially, told me to just trust the stylist and go with what he says, but I don't think I can. I don't really want to listen to him. My sister did my hair before I was reaped and I want it to remain the same way that she did in. Besides, my mentor is sort of creepy and I don't want to follow all of the things he probably will want me to do.

"I'm sure you do, but I'm just saying it would look really nice down. And the Capitol would love it!" He tells me again.

"I-I would you want it to stay like this." I repeat myself, trying to sound more assertive.

Daedalus finally lets go of my hair and looks at me. I look up to him. He has a slight frown on his face. Is he disappointed?

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Y-Yes. Sorry." I stutter, feeling a little uncomfortable by the way he is looking at me.

Daedalus continues to frown before he starts examining me again.

"You sort of look like a broken doll, no offense. I discussed with my partner, who is working on Nelson, exactly what we wanted to do with you two. We want to make you both look a little more stronger and presentable than you both are." He explains to me rather bluntly.

A broken doll? That's the first time I've heard that before. Sure I'm pale and I look rather small, scrawny, and frail, but broken? I feel a little saddened by that description.

"I've already talked to her and we know what we are going to do with you guys. Since your district is agriculture, we have some ideas we can work with! This is what we've thought of doing!" He starts going into details of the design he and his partner have worked on for me and Nelson.

I start zoning out during his speech about his plans. I occasionally will catch some words he uses, usually relating to some sort of worker or agricultural term that I don't think he understands all too well. My mind isn't focused on his speech though. I still think back to being called a broken doll.

Maybe I am a broken doll. Or will be soon. I guess I am just a regular doll now that will be broken in the arena. Some stronger tribute will surely do the job and make me into what my stylist thinks I am.

I wonder if Berry looked like a doll when she was reaped and when this creepy stylist worked with her. If she did, she most likely was a perfect, porcelain doll. But then was she a broken doll, like me, during the arena?

Whether she was or not, I know I will be. I'm broken already and I will continue to be broken once the Games start. I continue to bite on my lip nervously, wanting to just get away from this creepy stylist and the Games again. The urge to run away comes back, like it did at the reaping ceremony. I push those thoughts away. It's far too late now. I'm already broken after all…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Ah, the Capitol! I'm excited to be here! This is where things are going to get fun :) I have a few chapters I intend to write for the Capitol, but I will try to write them all as fast as possible since I would like to get to the arena quickly! I'll do my best to get there! The next few chapters will now rotate point of views for awhile. Some chapters may have a few points of views while some may have a lot! It's just going to depend on the chapter! I intend to have a couple of more points of views from all tributes though before the arena so you can get to know them better!<br>**

**Either way, I'll be updating as fast as possible! Thanks for reading! Make sure to review and give me your opinion! Anything you say can only help make the story better :) I'll see you guys later! Until then!  
><strong>


	7. The Chariot Ride

**Cannon Estate's POV – District 2**

This is it. The moment of truth. It's time to face the citizens of the Capitol and all of Panem. Are all eyes are on me. I know it'll be fine, but I can't help but feel nervous. I have no clue why, since I'm never nervous! Still, I know I need to make everyone see that I am not just another career. I am Cannon Estate. I am the victor this year's Hunger Games. I need to look and act the part!

I know I am at least dressed like a true victor. District 2 is known for the military and peacekeeper programs. It's only fitting that I am wearing the uniform of a peacekeeper. With the white, bulky, strong uniform over my body and the various fake weaponry at my side and on the chariot, I look absolutely intimidating! I made to sure to thank my stylist greatly when I saw the outfit. It is perfect! I look even more powerful and intimidating than Brutus did last year! This is definitely a sign: I am without a doubt winning this year.

Inara is wearing a similar outfit to mine, only tighter and showing more skin in order to make her look sexier. I won't deny that she does, but she also looks pissed. From what I heard from the stylists, she flipped out when she saw the uniform. She seems a little calmer than how I heard she reacted but she's still pissed. She's just scowling on the other side of the chariot, glaring at me. Is she angry at me now? What'd I even do?

Ever since we got on the chariot, I've been ignoring here glare. Now, it's starting to annoy me and creep me out.

"Alright, I'll bite. Why are you so pissed off at me?" I finally ask, turning to her to match her glare.

"You look like my father in that uniform." She spits outs.

Her father? She's the daughter of a peacekeeper? I'm guessing they don't get along well, if she's mad at me just for looking like him. A part of me is relatively curious, but I don't care enough to ask. I do know that it will not do us good if she hates me for no reason, so I need to fix this.

"Just remember that I am not your father." I tell her, still matching her glare.

"I know that! Don't make me out to be an idiot! I just said you reminded me of him!" Inara hisses in response, her stare intensifying.

Great. _More hostility!_ This won't bode well if she can't act civil with me. This could be bad in the arena. Don't want the careers to break up too early after all…

I turn my head away for her to see the chariot for District 1 heading out into Panem. It's starting! The chariot rides are staring!

"Looks like it's our turn." I mumble aloud to myself.

"No! I would _never_ have guessed that!" Inara replies, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I wasn't even talking to you!" I fire back. _Come on!_ Can this girl act civil with me for one second? I'm an Estate for crying out loud! She can't talk to me like that!_ And I wasn't even talking to her for crying out loud!_

"Who else would you have been?" She asks me, rolling her eyes.

I roll my eyes in response, not even bothering with a response. I can feel a sudden movement from the chariot. It's time to go into the city…

"…good luck. Stand out." I tell Inara begrudgingly. I need to try and clear any hostility amongst us. It would not be good if we tried to kill each other right now. After the career breakup it's fine, but it would be bad for us if we tried right at the beginning.

Inara looks surprised at my words. Perhaps I did clear some of the hostility. Her eyes widen for a second, but then are replaced with a look of suspicion. _Guess not._

"Same to you…" She finally tells me.

I can feel the chariot's movement getting a little faster. A few seconds later, I start seeing the bright lights of the Capitol. I can hear people shouting at us screaming various words and phrases. I start to make out some of the screams.

"District Two! District Two!" I hear the crowd cheering.

All this cheering is for us! No, for me! I start grinning and stand up in a way that anyone present can see me! I make sure that I am the focus. All eyes are on me.

It's not just the Capitol eyes looking at me. It's all of Panem, including my friends in District 2. My parents are also certainly watching. They are waiting to see me shine amongst the other tributes. They are watching me, making sure that I am representing the Estate family's name well. I make sure that they can see me from wherever they are watching.

I am an Estate. I was born into perfection. I was destined for greatness. All of Panem can see that now. _Don't worry mother. Don't worry father._ I will make the family proud. I will come back the victor of this year's Hunger Games. It's the nature of the Estate family. This is my chance to reach the greatness I was meant for!

* * *

><p><strong>Viz Candela's POV – District 5<strong>

After District 2 moves out, District 3 and 4 follow closely behind. It's going to be our turn soon. In just a few minutes, we will be facing the Capitol and potential sponsors. Not that I'm worried or anything. I still feel very prepared, despite the incompetent stylist I had. She may have dressed me as a lightning rod that's lighting up at the top, a completely horrible idea, but I still feel like I'll stand out. After all, District 5 represents power, and I am power.

As the chariot starts moving, it dawns on me that I may need to put on my innocent mask again. That way, I can be underestimated more when the arena comes. I decide against though, since I only want tributes to underestimate me. The people watching should not. They will know the truth so that I can be sponsored. When we enter the Capitol and I see the faces of its citizens shouting at us, I remain in my natural, emotionless face that I usually have. I can even feel a scowl developing on my face.

I start making out a couple of screams. Some are cheering for District 5 all together. Some actually are cheering my name. I probably do stand out, considering that I am completely emotionless and indifferent. Tributes usually try to act excited or terrified out of their minds during this event. I doubt that many tributes are completely emotionless during the scene. I am since that's how I naturally am around people I don't trust. I think it may help me be remembered.

I stand out even more thanks to my partner. Adam is dressed in the same lightning rod outfit that I am in and seems close to tears. He's most likely scared about being one day closer to the Hunger Games, one day closer to his inevitable death. His overall fear doesn't stand well with the crowd, whose cheering slowly died down when they saw him actually start crying. Now the cheers are directed solely for me, not for District 5. Nobody is cheering for Adam. I most certainly stand out in comparison to him. I actually try to resist the urge to smirk at his disheveled appearance.

"Viz…do you think are we almost done?" Adam asks me sniffling as he looks down on the ground of our chariot, not wanting to look at the crowds of people.

"Nope." I reply immediately.

"Not even close?" He asks again, his voice sounding like he is begging. "I…I don't know if I can stand to be here any longer. All these people…the Hunger Games being close…I feel as if I'm going to pass out."

"You might as well then. We aren't anywhere near done and the Games will be starting soon." I tell him very bluntly. I get rather amused as his face drops and his tears grow louder.

I take a second to look at my partner again and I start remembering the day of the reaping. He reminds me of the dead peacekeeper at the justice building: same blonde hair, same eyes, same facial features. I wonder if they are related. Siblings perhaps? Does he know that his 'brother' is dead? I make a note to mention it to him later. I'm not really curious, but it might be worth it to see him breakdown into tears just like he is right now if they are related.

As the chariot ride continues, I start to hear the cheering for us die down. My scowl grows at this. This is why it can be extremely irritating to be a small twelve year old girl. No matter how indifferent I can make myself look, I will be naturally underestimated when compared to other people. They don't understand everything that I have seen in my life. They don't know what I have had to do survive in my district. They don't known anything! All they see is a little girl, who doesn't stand out amongst the other tributes. I thought being next to Adam might make me stand out, considering I would be completely normal while he would be near tears, but he might be making my image worse. We probably are just associated with each other. His tears will end dragging me down. I wanted this at the reapings but not now. Not when I would benefit from standing out as an individual. _Stupid, useless crybaby._

In the end though, it doesn't really matter. I don't need sponsors. I can easily survive without them. I've been surviving in District 5 by myself and take of Rez and Watts without them: what's a couple of days in the arena without them? Besides, they'll come to me after I take my first kill. They'll come again when I take my second. And this way, it'll be more surprising to them when I make my kills.

Maybe it's a good thing if even the audience is surprised by me? It'll just make it more enjoyable for me when I earn their support.

A camera zooms in on us for a second, wanting to get a close up on the tributes of District 5. I wonder if Rez and Watts are watching right now. Most likely they are, since Rez still doubts my chances on coming back. I remember the promise I made to her and I intend to keep it. I give the camera a look, hoping she can see it from wherever she is watching in District 5.

_I'm coming home Rez. I'm sticking to my promise. Don't you worry about me. I'll be there to take care of you._

The camera proceeds to move to Adam. I return to my normal emotionless face and scowl. I refuse to show my feelings to anyone other than Watts and Rez. That stare and the message behind it was solely for them. Everyone else doesn't deserve it. They can die for all I care. As a matter of fact, twenty-three others will die and I won't care.

* * *

><p><strong>Sermina Dean's POV – District 6<strong>

"Eek!" I yelp in surprise as the chariot I'm on starts moving out and out into the Capitol. Into the line of vision of many different people that I do not know.

The sight of all the people screaming and staring at me makes me want to run away. I've never been good in front of many people and this is the biggest amount of people I've ever seen! Ever since the reapings, I've always been surrounded by strange new people and brought to strange places, away from what I'm used to. It's been completely awful and this chariot ride is the worst moment of all! I just want to run away and head back home and go back to what I'm used to. I don't like this…

My outfit only makes me feel worse. Topovska, my partner, and I are dressed as a ship captain and train conductor respectively. Since District 6 specializes in transportation, our stylists thought we should focus on two of the most iconic transportation systems and be the ones running it. I strongly disagree with my stylist's logic on this outfit choice. I've seen stories and documentaries on train conductors: none of them where as bright of clothes as I am and draw this much attention to themselves! My outfit only draws more attention to me, which makes me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Sermina, are you okay?" Topovska asks me, turning his attention away from the crowds of people and to me. I instinctively turn away from him.

Topovska is probably the only person I have met since the reapings that I don't feel like running away from but that doesn't help me feel too comfortable around him. I can't speak in front of him well, as I am always stuttering. I'm just not good with talking with people other than my parents and Aen. Right now, all I can do is shake my head.

"Don't worry. The chariot ride will be over soon!" He tells me, patting my head a little. I get flustered by the action.

I shake my head again in response when he stops patting my head. I highly doubt this will end anytime soon, especially since we just left and started our ride literally a minute or so ago. I also remember from watching the Hunger Games that the chariot rides usually last awhile, as we will have to wait for the other chariots to finish and have to listen to the president's speech. I've memorized this entire process from years of watching the Games and I know it's far from being over. I don't know why he would think it'll be over soon.

"Trust me, it will. Just do what I'm doing: don't think about it." He advises me.

I turn to him and see that he is facing the front of our chariot. He doesn't seem to be staring at it. He's staring into nothing I think. Maybe he's zoning out. I do that from time to time when I'm bored and trying to pass the time. How can he do that right now? I could never hope to, with all these eyes on me…

"…wh-what are y-you thinking about then?" I ask him, wanting to know.

Topovska turns back to me and gives me a funny look. Maybe he's surprised by my voice? I soon see him starting to smile before he looks back in the same direction he was looking in.

"I'm thinking of being back home. Being in a classroom at school learning about English and having my teacher instruct me on how to do an assignment. I'm thinking of coming home from school and being greeted by my mom and dad. I'm thinking of my brother…laughing with me about some joke. Basically, I'm thinking of home." Topovska tells me, his voice having a very noticeable trace of longing. "What I love about it. What I miss. What I want to come back to."

"H-Home?" I repeat the word. He nods in response.

_Home. _I've thought about it often. I want to go back to it. I want to go back to my everyday routine. Waking up each morning, greeting my parents, being tested on some new math or science concept that I didn't understand, going to school, coming back home to my parents, and even going to the autistic help sessions! I want to be talking to my advisers about my autism. I want to be talking to Aen. I just want to go back to my routine! I liked it!

I start to stare off in the same direction Topovska is looking in. Slowly, I start hearing the screaming of the people around me getting quieter. The bright lights of the Capitol are gone. I see my house instead. I'm in my kitchen, my father hovering over me as he holds a book.

"_Okay Sermina, what can you tell me Newton's laws of motion?" My father asks me._

"_Newton's first law: Any object in a state of rest or motion will remain in its state of rest or motion unless it is disturbed by an external force. Newton's second law: an object's mass multiplied by its acceleration will equal the external force applied to it. Newton's third law: for each action, there is a reaction that is equal and opposite of it!" I recite what I learned from the book._

"_Correct on all accounts! Good job Sermina!" My father tells me with a laugh. He gives me the book back and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "You understand so much more than I did your age! Sooner or later, you're going to surpass me in knowledge! And I'm the scientist in the family!"_

"_Well the plan is that I will be smarter!" I laugh in response. He starts laughing again with me._

For the first time since my reaping, I smile. I'm following Topovska's advice and it's working. I'm no longer on a chariot in front of so many people in Panem. I am home with my parents, reenacting the routing I love. I feel calm and at ease. _I am home…_

* * *

><p><strong>Corbin Devereux's POV – District 8<strong>

"…this is unreal!" I exclaim in shock when the chariot for District 8 is brought to the Capitol.

I have never seen this many people before in one spot. I've also never seen a group of people excited about anything! They are screaming and shouting about the Games and various things. I notice that I don't hear many cheers screaming "District Eight" though.

I actually start feeling a little uncomfortable. I don't really understand how all of these people can be so excited about the Hunger Games? Do they enjoy watching people die? I don't! And now that I'm in it, I'm certainly not looking forward to it! Either I come out dead or I will have do the killing. Both results don't appeal to me one bit. And yet, these people are still cheering?

My uncle got reaped for the Games when my mother was a child. He was in this very same spot that I was in right now. He ended up not making it home after dying in the final twelve. My mother told me all about it and how awful the Capitol was for supporting the Games. Thinking back to her stories and my uncle makes me feel even worse about being here. It makes me feel even more uncomfortable about being on this chariot in front of all of these people, just like my uncle was years ago.

"You alright Faith?" I ask my partner, trying to get my mind off of that subjects. Faith is currently on the other side of the chariot, waving to a couple of people in the crowd. I think she's trying to get people to sponsor her.

"I'm as fine as I can be!" She replies with a sigh as she continues her waving, trying to keep a smile on her face.

Being 'as fine as I can be' is not saying much. I share her feelings though. She probably feels the same way that I do. I think mostly everybody does, except the careers.

Our outfits aren't making the situation any better either. We both have various different colors of fabrics over us in a way that I guess counts as clothing. Out stylists told us that we were represented our District's textile programs well through wearing just fabrics, but I don't see how that works. I don't feel like I'm representing anything except a dumb idea. I just feel like an idiot!

I wonder if everyone from home is watching me and thinking that I look like an idiot. I feel so uncomfortable right now, I wonder how I _actually_ look. If I wasn't being sent off to my death, it might actually be funny for them. I know Sawyer and Rosie would laugh if I wasn't! If only…

I wish I could talk to them right now. My best friends. And my family. I could really use someone to talk to: someone that could take me away from the Hunger Games for even just a few minutes. I know I can't talk to them, but maybe I could contact to them?

I immediately start looking for the cameras that are supposed to record the ceremony. They are currently leaving the District 7 chariot and heading in our direction. I can see that one of them is zooming onto me. I immediately start waving in its direction. I hear a loud roar from the crowd in that direction, who think I am waving to them. In reality, though, I am waving to my family. I'm waving to my parents, Scout, Cadence, and Bug. To Sawyer. To Rosie…

It doesn't take long before the cameras move on. They are probably heading towards the District 9 chariot. I hope that my family and friends were able to see me. I hope they saw me waving to them. I just wish I could see them respond back.

I have to make sure that I can see them respond back. I know I have to win the Games. I need to come home to my family. In the poverty that they are in, they are going to need all the help they can get! I want to be able to help them! I want to be able to see them! To laugh with my sisters and my parents. To go out exploring the woods outside of District 8 with Sawyer. To be able to hang out with him and Rosie…

_I have to come home! I have to win! I won't be gone for long everybody…I'll be back…_

I follow Faith's plan of waving to the people of the Capitol, trying to get any sponsors I can. I feel a little sick in trying to suck up to them like this but I don't care too much. I know it's what I need to do. I need to do everything I can to return home to my family and friends. I don't want to leave them forever…not yet! I will make sure that I'm able to come home to them!

* * *

><p><em>Seven hours later…<em>

**Ephidel Limstella's POV – Head Gamemaker (49th Hunger Games)**

I can't help but groan as more papers get put on my desk. No doubt just more opinions about the tributes during the chariot rides. The head gamemaker apparently looks at them to get ideas on what tributes are favored and not favored. I'm also supposed to inform President Snow about all of this in the morning in the form of a report. _Just. Frickin. Great._

Even before I was head gamemaker and had to do paperwork for it, I've always hated the chariot rides. They are such a tease! I've never wanted to get to know my tributes! I don't care what the people think of them! I just want to watch them kill each other. That's why I got this job! Why should I care about who they are? Now I have to add paperwork to my reasons for disliking the rides. It's times like these that make me regret trying out for the position of head gamemaker…

I immediately push those thoughts out of my head. No matter how tedious, it's all worth it in the end. I designed the perfect arena and traps for these tributes. I intend to watch them die. I intend to enjoy every second that my tributes spend in my arena. I'm so excited for it!

Alas, I can't remain too excited about the future, for now, there is paperwork! Time to analyze the Capitol opinions on the tributes for this year._ Ooh, sooooo exciting!_

The first file I open up with is District 1. Naturally they are a fan favorite. They've always been a favorite District. This year's tributes are no exception. The boy and girl were dressed as bright and scandalously as usual. They also looked rather tough and I can tell they have bloodlust. They want to kill and I want to watch them kill. The opinions for them are all very good. I agree completely! I'm excited to see what they are going to do! Hopefully they create some 'memorable' scenes in this year's games!

I then take the papers dealing with District 2. No negative opinion in the pile whatsoever, which is rare. District 1, despite being a more loved District, had at least a couple of people disliking them! Every single person in the Capitol is apparently in favor of District 2! _Lame!_ It's all because of stinking Brutus winning the last year! Psh! _Bandwagon fans suck!_ It's not like either the male or female tributes for District 2 this year are anything like Brutus! I guarantee that if the careers end up on top, neither will win. Bah, sometimes the people of the Capitol have stupid opinions.

District 3 is usually only mentioned by their cult following but this year, they have a lot of positive reviews! No doubt because of the guy. The girl is pretty forgettable, as most tributes are from that District, but the guy seems to have attracted the attention of the Capitol. He was blowing them kisses and he had a look in his eye that reminded them of themselves. He acts as if he is a Capitol citizen! No wonder why the capitol responded positively to him! I'm sort of indifferent on him, so we'll see. Impress me District 3 Boy. Impress me!

District 4, like its fellow career Districts, received the same amount of support. It, also like usual, received the least amount of support amongst the three. It might be because of its tradition status as the weakest career District or it may be because of the tributes. The guy and girl don't seem too impressive compared to previous years. More so the guy, cause he apparently has a crippled leg. Sucks for him! The girl seems pretty tough though: just it's up to debate how much she compares. That's what public opinion seems to be and I happen to agree.

District 5 didn't receive many comments and most of the ones were very negative. All the adjectives used to describe it were young, weak, cowardly, pathetic, and more colorful and explicit terminology that amused me. It's all directed at the boy though. The girl didn't really receive many complaints. Rightfully so! I haven't seen a tribute so indifferent about the Hunger Games since I've started watching them! There's more to her than she's letting us see and I can't wait to find out what's there! As for the boy, he can go kill himself for all I care.

District 6 was annoying to the Capitol audience, since both of them completely ignored the Capitol. They zoned out during the reapings. They received a lot of negative complaints. Pretty stupid if you ask me, since the guy seemed like he has the potential to due some damage. He's got a good build and he seems competent. The girl also seems extremely bright, but I doubt her chances. She seemed rather flustered before she zoned out and I think that wont be good for her chances in the arena.

I honestly don't remember anything about the District 7 chariot but apparently it was good? That's what the opinions tell me! I think that has to be because the tributes look pretty strong: the guy looks big and strong and the girl holds herself up well and confidently. As for my opinion…meh. Don't care. They don't seem like vicious killers and nothing else stood out about them. Next District!

Another example of stupid Capitol opinion: District 8 was well-liked. I could understand District 7 to an extent, since they look strong, but District 8? That's all because the two tributes waved to a couple of the audience members for awhile! I don't have much of an opinion on the tributes of this District. They don't stand out too much and will need to impress me in the arena!

District 9 was also well-liked but for more understandable reasons. The tributes seem very competent in this District. Both of them have a certain air about them that just screams intelligence. I think the girl is a little too…innocent for my liking but I can tell that both of them will make a good show. That's what I think and that's why the public liked them.

District 10 was…hated. Least favorite of the year. Funny too, cause they seemed to be impartial to moderately like the girl. But the guy is just…disgusting and an idiot! He apparently started going off on the audience for screaming in excitement and started releasing unintelligible obscenities. Personally, I found it hilarious, but alas the common mind of the Capitol did not share in my humor. _Whatever._ The guy may last for awhile on size alone, so I will laugh for as long as he keeps staying alive.

District 11 didn't stand out to me nor the crowd. Very few reviews for this district and the ones here are very average. The boy tried to stand out I think, since he was waving to the crowd and trying to get their attention, but it didn't work. He somehow screwed it up. _Mission failure._ Yeah…they won't last long. Neither of them.

Finally, District 12 came around to end this accursed ceremony! I was annoyed and tired by this point so I don't remember anything. I'm guessing neither did the Capitol. They got the least reviews out of all of the tributes: even less than District 11! Still, to their favor, at least the few they got were positive. Apparently the girl seems tough and the boy is likable. _Eh whatever._ There District 12. Doesn't matter. They won't last.

With District 12's reviews done, I put away all of the papers. Finally! Done! Curse these stupid chariot riding ceremonies! I hate them! Finally they are over! Just one more day closer to the start of the Hunger Games, where I get to see my perfect designs to take place!

I'm about to go into a full mental analysis of the Games and what's going to happen when the realization hits me: President Snow still is going to need my report on the public opinion on the tributes. I need to do more work for this stupid ceremony.

_I hate this job! Ugh! Can't the Games start already? I just want to watch these stupid kids squirm to death…_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Here's the next chapter! :) We're getting closer to the arena! This is where it's going to be fun! I've counted how many chapters left until the bloodbath: just seven more! Potentially eight if I, for some reason, decided to want filler. And I plan on writing them as fast as possible! I'm excited to get to it :)

Thanks for all the reviews so far everyone! You all rock! :) Make sure to review and give any tips or criticism to help me improve the story! It's always appreciated! :) I'll see you guys at the next update! Until then!


	8. Making a Name: Training Day 1

**Roshan Alicia Davis's POV – District 12**

_Today is going to be a fast day._ I just knew it the second I walked into the elevator, heading toward the training session. Today was an important day that would be critical to my survival, so naturally it would only go by as quickly as it could. When I get in there, I can't afford to waste a single second. I won't deny that I'm handy with a knife but I need to learn how to use it better. To use other weapons. _To survive. I need to survive!_

Damien's relatively quiet on the elevator, which is sort of surprising. He's been pretty talkative since I met him on the train and he's always joking. I guess today he's just not in a joking mood. Even he has to see how serious today is. This is more than just training after all. This is life or death!

When the elevator finally reaches the floor, we head into the training center and I am amazed. The room is gigantic and divided into different stations where we are all allowed to practice various weapons or learn about survival skills. I can't even remember exactly what I thought the room would be like in my head, but I didn't imagine this. Not this much stuff. It's almost intimidating. It didn't also help that we were the last District to arrive into the training center.

I need to learn it all. I have to find someway to learn everything in this room.

Some lady was waiting for me and Damien to arrive. I didn't recognize her. I'm guessing she is associated with the Hunger Games. When she saw that we arrived, she gave a speech about the various sections of the room. About the rules during the training session. Basically, we can do anything in the room and learn anything with the exception of attacking another tribute. After she's done listing rules and what we can learn, we are all able to go head to any different station in the room.

The first thing I do is go to a station on knives. The trainer there immediately hands me a couple of knives to toss at targets. He instructs me on various methods and proper technique to use. I pay attention carefully. I may have some skill with them, but I can be better. I need to be better.

When I go out and start practicing, I notice another tribute come up to the station. It's the little girl from District 11! She actually reminds me a little of Rochelle and Jamie, my little sisters. This actually really bothers me, since I can't imagine her dying without thinking of my sisters. She stands right by the instructor, trying to remember each and every word he's saying. She looks relatively close to tears. I feel an urge to ask her if she's okay, but I know I can't do that. Why would I? Why should I care? We are going to have to kill each in a few days, so I don't really know how I could ever help her feel better. I return back to my targets and starting tossing the knives.

I've never been too skilled with throwing knives, but I gradually start getting better with each consecutive knife I throw. After a couple more tosses, I start getting closer.

The instructor seems to finish his lesson with the girl and comes over to critique me.

"You're skill is not bad. You are probably better at hand to hand combat with knives, but I could see you getting better with throwing knives." He lets me know. "You just need work on your aim better. The angle you throw at. Improve a couple of little details and you could be very deadly."

I nod in response to his words. I feel a little smile come over my face. It's not like a great compliment, but it's a start. I think I stand a chance. I just need to capitalize on that chance and improve my skills.

The girl from District 11 takes her spot right next to me and readies a knife. I move over and decide to watch her. She's going to be competition in a few days. I need to see what she can do after all.

I watch the girl toss her knife. It lands nowhere near the target, a couple feet in front of it. It looked like it never stood a chance of hitting it.

I can hear the instructor sigh. I then look over to the girl. She seems really flustered after she threw the knife. She actually looks even paler than her skin was before. I start noticing a large red blush on her face a few seconds later. As soon as it comes though, she immediately runs off, heading in some random direction away from this station. I feel bad for her when I see her run off. I wonder if she is questioning her chances in the Games based on how badly she can throw a knife. She seemed like she died the second her knife hit the ground.

_This just isn't even right!_ She's even younger than I am and was brought into the Hunger Games. She's just a twelve year old! She doesn't deserve to die. None of us do, but her especially. The Games are not fair. This whole thing just sucks! Screw the Gamemakers for this! Why must they try and destroy our lives? We didn't do anything to deserve this!

I feel a sudden desire to go comfort that girl. I don't know why I do, but she sort of reminded me of my sisters so I feel like I need to. That's what I would do for Rochelle or Jamie if they got sad, so that's what I should do for her.

I start walking away, trying to figure out where the girl from 11 ran off to. I keep walking and looking but I don't see her. She has to be here somewhere though! I just need to keep looking.

My eyes travel back in the direction of the knife station and I see that another person headed there after I left. It's the girl from District 4! She seemed to notice my stare and grinned at me before she turned back and tossed two knives at the same time.

Both knives made direct contact with two opposing targets.

My eyes widen in surprise. The girl from 4 seems to notice this as she gives me a smug grin. She then returns back to tossing knives at the station.

_So this is what it feels like to be completely outclassed._ Great. Just great. I guess maybe that's how the girl from District 11 felt after she followed up my work. Still, I don't even compare to the District 4 girl's skill! She could easily kill me in the arena! _With my own weapon! She can use it better than me!_

_No! This will not last! I will get better and I will prove that I can beat her! I will do it! My family's depending on me to do it!_

I decide to continue my search for the District 11 girl to help cheer her up. After that, I'm returning to that knife station. I need to get better. I refuse to die in the Hunger Games and I need to make myself stronger so that I don't.

* * *

><p><strong>Audrina Prescott's POV – District 1<strong>

I toss a spear at a target and I watch it make direct contact with its head. If that was a real tribute, they would be dead. They would have had no chance of survival. Just like how I would prefer it.

The instructor praises my work, but I already knew I was good with the spear. I have already trained with spears and knives. The next goal will be to work on other weapons in case if both aren't in the arena. It probably doesn't matter what weapons they give me or how much experience I have with them though: give me anything and I can kill anyone with it. I would find a way with anything, especially during the Hunger Games.

I walk away from the spear station and start thinking of other weapons I should look at. There are swords, axes, bow and arrow…

"Hey! Audrina!" A voice interrupts my thoughts.

I scowl for a second before I turn to the voice and see Celsius, my District partner. I also notice he is being followed by two other tributes. I look at them better and see that they are the tributes for District 2!

_Oh, I see what you're doing Celsius._ Already trying to get the Careers together, eh? We were going to meet up eventually, but I guess Celsius wanted to do it quickly. No doubt trying to get himself positioned as leader of the Careers. Eh, whatever. The more he does that, the more of a target he places on his back. I'll be certain, and pleased, to place a knife or spear straight through that target.

"Forming the Career pack early right?" I ask him.

"Correct. Introductions should be in order!" He declares, getting out of the way so that way I am facing the two tributes behind him. "Audrina, this is Cannon and Inara, the two tributes of District Two."

We end up shaking hands and I can already tell the people I'm dealing with. Cannon holds himself in a posture that screams arrogance and cockiness. I think he's from a rich family or something. He has a certain attitude about him. Eh, it'll go away with just a stab to the stomach. As for his partner, Inara comes off rather aggressive. She hasn't stopped glaring at all of us ever since we got brought together. My type of girl. I'm sure we will get along just fine until the day I kill her.

"We should start discussing business first." Celsius declares after we all shake hands. "We need to decide who else is going to be in the Careers this year."

"Who else? What kind of bull are you getting at? Just add District Four already and then boom, we're done!" Inara answered with an eye roll.

"Obviously you haven't been paying attention to who the Four tributes are then. The girl seems perfectly fine, but the guy is a cripple. Just watch him walk. He walks and runs awkwardly. That would slow us down in the arena." Celsius countered.

"I don't know about that." I interrupt. "The Four boy was at the spear station with me. I saw him throw a spear and he's pretty damn good!"

I'm not lying. I would never lie on someone's behalf to help them. The boy from Four does have a good spear arm. He nailed the target straight through the heart his last time he threw it. He also seems pretty well built. He would be an asset in the arena. His leg is the perfect reason to have him, because he will be easy to take down when we need to kill him off.

Celsius opens his mouth to counter my logic but Cannon interrupts instead.

"Yeah, but anyone can throw a spear. ANYONE. Trust me, that's nothing special if he has a good spear arm." Cannon mentions.

"Excuse me?" I address him, not trying to hide the hostility in my voice. I need to hear him correctly: he did _not_ address one of my best weapon's as 'nothing special!'

"Excuse me what? The spear is an easy weapon to use!" He shrugs.

"I can show you that it's not. I can use your body as an example of how you use it effectively." I reply, clinching my fists. I can already tell I'm not going to like this kid. I am going to enjoy shoving my spear into his heart.

"I would like to see you try!" He replies with a grin.

"Settle down idiots. This isn't the time for this yet." Celsius interrupted our little discussion. "You can kill each other in the arena, but for now, shut up or I will make sure I personally slit both of your throats."

Cannon and I turn to him and glare. _What nerve!_ Honestly, Celsius claims to have so much skill but I don't see how he can be as tough as he tries to make himself out to be. He isn't. There's no way! I will be happy to show him he isn't. Still, I decide it might be a good idea to drop the arguments for now. I just continue to glare at him in silence. My glare intensifies when I see a smug smirk develop on his face, probably cause he thinks he won the argument between Cannon and myself by making us stop.

"Anyway, I guess we can consider the Four guy. And the girl is a definite. Now, does anyone else have any other suggestions? I thought the Three boy seemed like he'd potentially be a valuable member of this alliance?" Celsius asked us for our opinions.

I was about to open my mouth when I noticed a figure approach us. The figure immediately came up behind Celsius's back and put his hand over his eyes.

"Are you talking about me, sexy boy?" The figure asked in a suggestive voice. I watched Celsius's face light up in anger and I could barely hold back laughter.

_Oh, please let this guy in! Anything that'll disrupt Celsius's mood and skill is good enough for me!_

* * *

><p><strong>Celsius Potens's POV – District 1<strong>

The second I felt the District 3 boy's hands go over my face, I started to grit my teeth. When he referred to me as 'sexy boy' I could feel the anger rise up in my body.

Needless to say, I was pissed. I don't like anyone being this close to me. I don't like anyone referring to me by nicknames, especially not 'sexy boy.' And I certainly did not like the way he said this stupid nickname. I did not like this guy. _He will be dead. He will die by my hands._

"The name's Benedict Letat everybody!" He greets us. He takes his hands away before I can slap them and shakes everyone's hands. I make a note to not shake his. I want the first time I grab his hands to be when I'm pulling them off his body.

He looks at me expectantly for a minute, still waiting for my handshake. I decide to end his waiting with a simple sentence. "I don't like you."

"It's fine. I don't like you either sexy boy." He replies, giving me some wink. I glare at him but he turns away and starts addressing the rest of the Careers. "Now, let's all get down to business. We need to discuss the plan for the arena and how it's going to work."

"I don't recall anyone saying you were in the Careers yet." I interrupt him, making my hostility known to him.

"Oh, but it was you who threw out my name to join, wasn't it sexy?" He asks me. I grit my teeth again. I did, but that was before I knew that he was an irritating fool.

"I did say that but I never said you were actually part of the Careers. Furthermore, even if you were in, you have no right to act as a leader, District Three." I reply coldly. He has no right to even consider his opinion worthwhile. _He's District 3!_ He'll be lucky to even be associated with us! He will certainly be no leader for this alliance. That position is reserved for me.

"I don't recall seeing you guys pull an election for leader." Benedict shrugs. "Anyway, I am in. You all know I have the proper training. You all know that I can kill. You'll want me in."

I open my mouth to retort but I'm beaten by other voices.

"He's fine with me!" Audrina exclaims excitedly. My glare turns to her direction.

"Yeah, bring him in. The more, the merrier for now at least." Cannon adds. I find my glare switching to him.

"Hmph, whatever. Sure, bring him in. I don't really care." Inara groans.

"Hmm, looks like I'm in. How does it feel to be outvoted, sexy?" He asks me tauntingly.

_And now he's MOCKING me. Me! Celsius Potens! _I can feel my teeth gritting again in anger again. I do recognize though that he has talents and the others want him. I guess it needs to be done…

"Fine. You're in." I reply as coldly as I can. I want him to know that I still disagree. That I want him dead.

"Thank you sexy! I wont let you down!" Benedict replies eagerly, giving me a look.

He continues to give me that look for what feels like forever. I return the look just as fervently. Despite all the taunting and flirting he seems to do to me, I can tell by his stare that he wants me dead. He's staring at me with pure bloodlust. I recognize because it's how I stared at him and a couple of other tributes in this room. He must want me dead as badly as I want him dead. _Well don't worry Benedict. We shall settle whatever problem we have in the arena. I will make sure to come out as the winner though. After all, I don't lose! _

Benedict eventually stops and he returns to the other Careers. "Now listen, the Capitol is going to love us. Never stop appealing to them in your interview. We want all the sponsors we can get! Also, we need to make a list of all the tributes we need killed off in the bloodbath. I've already got a couple of people on that list that I can give you guys."

Benedict continues to talk about his plans in the arena for the Careers. Basic information really. He discusses what weapons we should go for in the cornucopia, who we should target early, how we should ration food, what angles we should work for the crowd, and more stuff. I am actually slightly impressed with all the detail he put into his thoughts. As annoying he is, Benedict is smart. He's detailed. He's definitely planned for the Games. _I wonder how it's going to feel to him that all those plans were for nothing when he dies._

Eventually, Cannon interrupts his speech. "I like everything we are coming up with, but I feel like we should wait until we get the final members of the team here."

"You mean the Four Girl? I guess yeah. Audrina, go talk to her." I order my partner.

Audrina shouts some obscenity at me before she walks off to the knife section where the girl is. She'll be joining us in a few minutes or so I guess.

"I was actually referring to someone else." Cannon mumbled, looking over his shoulder.

"Who exactly?" I ask suspiciously. Whoever Cannon has in mind, it better be someone worth while.

"I'll tell you when I get him. I'll be right back!" He replies eagerly as he walks off in some direction.

"Looks like this is going to be one giant group of misfits." Inara mumbles.

_Yes, you all are. I'm not a misfit though. I am the victor after all and the victor is no misfit. He is the slayer of misfits. I intend to kill each and every one of you by the end of this thing._

* * *

><p><strong>Lenora Lemings's POV – District 3<strong>

Being at a station right next to all of the Career tributes, I made a mental note of each of their faces. I need to avoid them like the plague once the Games start. My strategy involves staying away from them as long as I possibly can. Not until I have some way to combat them.

I'm still bothered by the fact that Benedict joined the Careers. I should have expected that considering that he volunteered and the way he acts, but I still feel irritated. Your district partner is supposed to be the one person you can trust and he is possibly the one person I can trust the least! It also really bothers me how badly he wants to kill me. I can't think of what I did wrong to offend him so much. He just wants me dead for no reason, and that scares me. What scares me more is that he could easily kill me.

The only thing that's keeping my sanity intact is a small plan I am designing for the arena. I'm trying to find a way to create a trap system of electrical nets. I'm also working on potentially finding a way to electrify a knife to make it even more potent. Some of my designs seem like just hopeful ideas, but I think I could create something that I could use for electrocution from the materials in the cornucopia. I don't really want to have to use any of these weapons, and I don't want to kill anyone, but when you know that someone outright wants you to die before the Games even start, you start planning certain methods to avoid this death.

I continue to remain at the knot tying station I'm by. The instructor continues to applaud my work. Apparently I am making great progress with knots. He's starting to show me a couple of more advanced traps now. I'm taking notes of each and every trap he shows me. I think I can work with the ones that he is showing me. I think he can find some way to electrify them.

"You seem to have a fascination with this type of net!" My instructor notes with a laugh as I finish the next trap I designed.

I almost laugh. I have been designing nets for awhile now.

"I really enjoy making them. They are relatively easy to make and very effective!" I explain my thoughts.

"Oh I agree! They are effective! The only complaint though is that they aren't able to kill off anyone…" He laments a little.

_That's why I intend on finding a way to electrify them…_

Beetee has provided me a lot of insight into the workings of electricity. He promised to go over with me more in more detail after I relayed my idea to him. I intend to figure out exactly he was able to electrocute his enemies in the Hunger Games. It's the only way I'll be able to come home. I can't win any other way! I need to come home to my mother, to Lumera, to Gabriel, to Cindy…and I'll do anything to come back to them. I guess that means I'll become a killer to return…

I can feel the presence of another person around me and I turn to my left. I see another tribute walking up to the station. She sits down and starts talking to the instructor about traps and knots. I tune out their conversation: I don't really like being around people too much. I'm extremely polite to others (or I try to be!) but I am a more solitary person. I prefer being by myself. They don't seem to notice me much anyway when they get into their conversation.

I decide I should try and figure out who the girl is though. I study her for a few minutes. She seems about my age with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Something about her strikes me as very sweet. I don't really know exactly what it is, but she seems like there is more to her than she lets on. I register the mental images of all the tributes in my head and only one matches her description: she's the District 9 girl.

By the time I realize who she is, she has finished her first trap. It's a rather detailed version of the nets I had been creating. They rival the most recent one I created, which was after listening to instructions and practicing for a few minutes. _And she did it on her first time!_

"That's impressive!" I say at the same time as the instructor.

The girl turns to me and then back to her instructor before answering back. "Thanks! I enjoy building things like this! It's my forte!"

"My advice is to go to more heavier stuff! Work on something that could be deadly! They may be more complex, but you could easily do it!" The instructor suggests.

I notice a small drop in her face the second the word 'deadly' got brought up. She only nods at his words before she starts working on another trap.

Normally I don't like talking to people but I feel compelled to speak to her. To figure out how smart she is. To figure out she did that.

"You did a really good job with that trap." I repeat the praise she got.

The girl turns to me and gives me a smile. "Thank you! I like traps and knots better than most of the other stuff here!"

"I hear you. I'm not interested in the other weapons really. I'd suck at them." I sigh. "I'm Lenora by the way. Lenora Lemings."

"Lily Walden! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She greets pleasantly.

The two of us start talking a little. Little things about each other. She tells me some things about herself and I reveal things about myself. I explain to her about my family and my designs of my generator. I mention how I got the scar on my right arm (through a faulty experiment with one of my earliest inventions). To my surprise, she is an inventor herself! She enjoys working with mechanics and chain reactions. She also tells me about her family and her boyfriend.

I have no clue why we are talking to each other so freely, but it makes me feel at ease. I never feel at ease when talking to anyone. This is something special though. This is the first person I've met since the reaping that I can just talk about little things. It reminds me of just hanging out with Lumera, Gabriel, and Cindy. This is someone who I could probably call friend if we met outside of the Games. This is the first time since the reaping that I feel even a little relaxed and actually having a little fun.

I make a mental note to associate the word 'friend' by the image of Lily in my head. I have to remember that if I see her in the Games. Whether she is an ally in the Games or not, I'm just glad to have a friend in the one place where I think I'm going to need one more than ever…

* * *

><p><strong>Iago Latimer's POV – District 9<strong>

It amuses me that most people went off to study survival or weapons during the training session. I know that it is important and I'm going to have to learn some stuff as well eventually, but there is a far more important job to do while here. This is the time to analyze the other tributes. This is the time to find out who are potential allies. Find out who your threats are. Find out who you need to avoid. This is the most important thing to learn while here!

I stand in the back of the room, just watching the other tributes. I see the careers form, including the boy from District 3 joining them. That's a group to avoid, especially the boy from District 3 and the two tributes from District 1. All three of them seem rather…bloodthirsty. I'm going to need to avoid them.

Besides the careers, I don't see any immediate alliances. Maybe some interaction between the other tributes but nothing too special. I also notice a couple of tributes I would like to align with. The two from District 7 seem rather loyal and pretty strong. They would make pretty good allies I believe. The boy from District 11 seems to also be a potential ally. As does the boy from District 6. Those are the ones that stood out in my mind, at least. Perhaps there's more to find out about. I don't know everything yet.

What I do know is that I need strong allies. I need ones that would not betray me. Ones that would be able to draw attention away from me if were ambushed by the careers or other tributes. Ones that I would be able to slit their throats when necessary in order to win the Games.

I've done analysis for enough time I think. Time to go talk and get one of these people on my side. The first one I approach is the girl from District 7. She's over learning about the edible plants and other survival skills. I notice not too many other tributes around the area either, meaning I can speak rather plainly. _Perfect!_ I walk up to her and act as I'm learning about the edible plants as well. I think she notices me but doesn't say anything. Either way, I decide to begin the conversation with a simple question.

"Survival's pretty important, isn't it?" I ask her.

She turns to me and gives me a curious look. I think she's trying to figure out what I'm trying to tell her.

"Yes, yes it is." She responds, still giving me that curious look.

"We all have to learn to survive, but there are so many variables we need to take into account: the nature in the arena, the weapons we can use for survival, tributes we must fight, _and tributes we must work with!_" I inform her.

Her eyes narrow on me. Surely she got the meaning behind that. She realized I want to align with her and now she's trying to judge me. She's probably judging how effective I would be to her as an ally.

"…but you never know who to trust. Who only wants to stick a knife in your back…" She finally tells me after she had time to judge me.

_Smart. Not trusting me right away._ I decide it would be a good idea to ease any tension between us and establish some trust or relationship between us.

"The name's Iago. Iago Latimer. Yours?" I ask her, extending my hand.

"…Akira. Akira Himura." She greets me by shaking my hand.

I feel some of the tension evaporate by just knowing each other's name. Still, silence overcomes us and it feels rather uncomfortable. I start thinking of something to say but she beats me to the punch.

"You want to align with me, don't you?" Akira asks me rather bluntly. I nod. "…why?"

"We need to have at least some people to with and rely on. It's pivotal for our survival. I feel I can trust you and we can work well together." I tell her.

"…but can I trust you?" She asks me, looking at me with suspicion and…is that hope I see in her eyes?

"I won't screw you over. Don't even worry. If I can trust you, then you can trust me." I let her know.

Honestly, I don't know if I would completely trust her or if she should trust me. I also know that I would kill her in order to get home, so I guess I would screw her over. Still, I stay this to make sure that she can trust me. So that she can see that we can be allies.

"…I feel like you should know that I intend on going as long as possible without killing." Akira tells me, looking down to the ground.

"Nothing to worry about there! The alliance is meant for our survival only. We won't be hunting the other tributes and killing them. It's just a mutual survival kind of think." I tell her truthfully. That's what the plan is after all!

Akira looks up and stares at me again, probably trying to see if I'm being honest or not. I am about our alliance, so it's no surprise to me that she finally nods in content.

"I see…perhaps it would be a good idea." She admits.

"Yes, yes it would be!" I tell her, almost laughing. "I'm going to try and recruit a couple more people like us into this thing. I'll give you a synopsis of who I find out would be interested. That good for you?"

"Yes, it would be. Thank you!" She tells me, smiling at me.

"No problem! I'm going to head to find some more members. I'll give you the names when I get them Akira." I tell her as I turn to walk away.

"…Iago?" She calls my name.

I turn around and give her a curious look.

"…my friends and my brothers back home call me Aki. You and our alliance members can call me that." She informs me before she walks off herself to another station in the survival areas.

I smile as I watch her head over in some direction. _Yep. I guess I can say she trusts me. We'll see if she ends up regretting that in the future…_

I proceed to head in the direction of the boy from District 7 now. I intend to get a pretty large alliance together. I have created plans for the arena and I intend to accomplish them. It's going to be necessary in order to come home!

* * *

><p><strong>Robert "Big Bob" Zorn's POV – District 10<strong>

_Fire. Nice fire. Pretty fire._

When I walked into the training room, I didn't expect to see a section where they taught you how to make a fire. There was one though and I immediately headed to it and spent all of my time there. I don't plan on leaving.

I like fire. I always have. I love its shape. I love the way it looks. I love its power. I've always liked watching a fire burn and seeing a fire in this room made me happy, something really rare. Sure there was some annoying lady trying to explain how to make it, but I ignored her. It was easy to when I just imagined her being chucked into this fire.

It feels like a lot of time passes by as I just stand and stare at the fire. Suddenly, I have an overwhelming desire to jump into the fire right now. I want to see exactly how powerful fire is. I just want to know what fire actually feels like. _It must feel fantastic!_

The urge goes away though as a voice calls me out of my mental images of me being in fire.

"Hey! District Ten!" The voice shouts.

I turn around angrily and stare at the boy from District 2 I think. I don't really know nor do I care where he's from: he's annoying to look at and he's annoying me right now.

"What ya want?" I ask him. He better not take up my time.

"I just wanted to talk about the Games. No need to be so antsy District Ten." He shrugs.

"Meh name is not District Ten! I'm Big Bob!" I spit out angrily. _I am not District Ten!_ I am Big Bob!

"And I'm Cannon! Nice to meet you Big Bob!" He replies with some laugh. He's really annoying me. He's talking to me in a voice that sounds like he's talking to a child. I can't hide my glare. _I ain't no child, dummy!_

"Anyway, I came to offer you a place in the Careers." Cannon offers me.

"Careers?" I repeat the word, confused. _What is he talking about?_

"Yeah…the careers? You know, the group of tributes that run the Hunger Games? The strongest and most awesome tributes?" Cannon tells me with the same tone of voice.

"I'm no child! Ya don't talk tah me that way!" I fire back. Oh God, _ANOTHER_ person to add to my hated list!

"I'm not! But I'm offering you the chance to join us! Are you in?" He asks me again.

"You shut up! I don't want nothing from ya!" I hiss at him. I don't really care what the Careers are but I don't care anymore. If he's part of it, then I'm not. I hate this kid.

"…excuse me?" He looks at me confusedly.

"Excuse ya what? What ya want now?" I hiss again. He is definitely being added to my hated list! And he's getting put really high too.

"…did you seriously deny? I'm offering you a way to get into the Careers! A way to get into the group of the strongest careers! A way to survive the first few days!" He explains.

"Look, I don't like ya. I gonna kill ya in the arena and you gonna like it. So just shut up, kay?" I explain in simple terms for him. _If he gonna talk to me like a child, then I gonna talk to him like a child._

He blinks before he starts shouting at me. Some threats or something. He annoys me so I don't even listen. I start to walk away and he begins to follow me.

"Look, just get away from meh or I'm a kill ya now!" I hiss at him.

"Just you wait. I will make sure you die a painful death! I will make sure of that!" Cannon hisses before he walks away.

_Finally!_ The idiot is out of here! Now I can look over at the fire again…

I'm about to turn to the fire when my eyes stop on somebody that was sitting by the edible plants area. It's a blonde kid with a face of an angel. I think I saw him when we were watching the reapings. Was he from District 5? I don't remember. All I know is he looks just like someone I know. I don't like it.

I stare at the kid for awhile. He looks rather nervous for some reason. He's also rather skinny. He looks a little like little brother…

My brother! That's who he reminds me of!

Immediately I start to scowl. I hate my brother. I hate him more than I hate most things. He left with my parents when they left me by myself. I hate him so much that I forgot his real name. I don't know who this kid is but he reminds me of my brother and for that he pisses me off. He pisses me off more than most people do.

_I don't know ya kid, but I'm a kill you first. Ya gonna die._ I'm still angry at my brother and my whole family. Killing this kid in the Hunger Games will help me feel like I'm getting my revenge.

* * *

><p><strong>Aqua West's POV – District 4<strong>

"…don't you feel like you've been practicing enough?" The instructor at the knife section informs me.

"Not really." I sigh, tossing another knife. For the fifth time in the row, it misses the center of the target.

I groan. I remember thinking in the training center at my house about if it would be simple to kill someone like it would be to toss a knife through a training dummy. I started trying to picture each target in the training center as the faces of the various tributes I saw here. Ever since I started doing that, my aim has been slightly off. I would always hit perfectly in the center but I can't when I imagine them as other tributes. Well there's my answer to the question I had earlier. _It's going to be harder to throw knives at other tributes than it is at a practice dummy._

I immediately throw my sixth knife. It gets closer, if that was even possible, but I know it's not the center. I need to get over my feelings. I guess I won't want to kill somebody, but I have to get over it. I am the victor of this year's Hunger Games! If I want to realize that goal, then I'm going to have to kill at least a couple of tributes. I'm going to need to get over this…

"I need to talk to Beck about this…" I mumble to myself. Surely my trainer, mentor, and best friend will have some advice for me on how to forget that I'll be targeting humans. He has to have something to tell me that will help. He won the Games after all!

At this moment, I start realizing that I should not go back to knives until I can talk with Beck. I start to walk away and look for another station to practice on when I see somebody approach me.

"District Four! What's the rush? Stay for awhile!" The approaching figure calls to me.

I turn to the figure and see that it is the girl from District 1. She volunteered like I did but there's something about her that I really don't like. I haven't actually found out what yet.

"Let's get introductions out of the way. Name's Audrina." She informs me, not even bothering to stick out her hand. Shows me that she really doesn't care about who I am.

"My name is Aqua West. Nice to meet you!" I tell her, smiling. She may not care, but I'm generally polite to people I meet. She's no exception.

"Okay, now to business: you in the Careers or not?" She asks me, narrowing her eyes on me.

_Great. I'm offered to join the Careers._ I had hoped avoiding them in the training center would have made them not want me yet. I wanted more time to think if I wanted to work with them. I know I can not trust them all in the arena at all. I would rather work with one tribute at a time. Still, I don't think I can ignore an offer that was given to me in front of my face.

"Who do you have so far?" I ask before her answering her question. I'll probably answer yes to her face, but I do need to know who is in.

"So far, just District One, District Two, and the boy from District Three." She tells me.

Of course the District 3 boy got in. He seemed like an obvious career from watching the reaping video. He actually seems the most dangerous tribute from the video. He's someone you could never trust. I spend a few seconds trying to judge him in my mind when it dawns on me that she didn't mention somebody.

"You haven't asked Kai?" I asked her curiously. She narrows her eyes on me, showing that I need to explain. "He's my district partner."

"Oh you mean the cripple boy? Yeah, we haven't talked to him yet but I'll probably go to him after I'm done with you. He's not completely useless: I've seen what he can do with a spear." She mentions.

Instinctively I turn to where Kai is. He's not by the spear section right now but he's learning about swords. I take note of the fact that he is talking with the two tributes from District 8. Still, I can see him practice with the sword on a target dummy and he's not too bad. I would assume his spear arm would be even better.

"Hey! Stop staring at your boyfriend and answer my question: are you in the Careers or not!" Audrina shouts at me.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I shout back. _Really?_ We don't even know each other at all yet! And we are going straight into the Hunger Games! How could anybody think we'd date?

"Well are you in or not?" She asks.

"Yes, of course I'm in!" I reply immediately without really thinking.

"Good, that's all you had to say." She tells me before she walks away, heading in Kai's direction.

My eyes narrow on her as she walks away. I don't like her at all. I knew there was something about her that I wouldn't like when I saw her reaping video, but now I know what. I just don't like her. Everything about her. Especially her attitude. I also know I will never be able to trust her.

Instinctively, I decide to go back to my knife section. I pick up a knife and imagine the target is a specific tribute's face: Audrina's face. I toss my knife and watch it make direct contact with the center. With her, I'm able to hit the mark without even trying.

I can't help but smirk at that. While I miss when thinking of anybody else, I hit easily when I'm thinking of her. Maybe I'll feel bad about killing others, but I don't think I will with Audrina.

_Okay, I'll join your little group of Careers. But if you all give me a reason to not trust you, I can easily kill you all, especially you Audrina. I don't think I'll be feeling bad at all._ I laugh a little at my thoughts before I decide to move on from the knife station to another area to train.

* * *

><p><strong>Nelson Sieg's POV – District 11<strong>

I feel a little out of place in the training center. I'm pretty skilled with using machetes but there was no station for one, to my surprise. The knives they have are not similar to one: they are smaller and probably better being used as throwing knives. That's not exactly what I'm used to. Watching the Careers and a couple of others head to stations and excelling at weapons made me feel out of place and even a little nervous. They have an advantage over me.

_That wasn't going to stop me though. _I've been spending nearly all of my time at the axe station, trying to figure out proper routine. My instructor has been helping me and I think I am actually making progress. I may be better with a machete, but I don't think I'm too bad.

When I toss my axe this time, I hit the very top of the target. After missing my first time, I can feel some accomplishment. This is pretty definite that I am getting better.

"Yep, you're improving. Keep practicing and I can see you being a major player with an axe!" The instructor tells me.

I can't hide my smirk. This is the kind of attention I like getting. I seem to really be getting better. If I can just keep up this improvement, then I can stand a chance. I can return home to my family!

I pick up another axe to toss. I am preparing my throw when something registers in my head.

I hear singing, I think. I can't really tell what the words are but I hear singing. The person singing must be near me, since I don't have the best hearing. I do really like music though, as it calms me down. Just like on the train, I feel the urge to find out who is singing.

Instinctively, I place the axe down and I walk in the direction I think the singing is coming from. I walk to the station right next to the axe one: the one with the bow and arrow. I notice two tributes there. I take note of the District 6 boy there but my mind is more so focused on the girl there who is singing as she stares at an arrow she just let loose. She's the District 10 girl and she's singing to herself.

I feel a little irritated with my hearing, as I can't register some of the words she is saying. What I do hear is her voice and I am surprised by how beautiful it sounds. It sounds even better than Seeder's voice when I was on the train. I am completely impressed.

The girl doesn't notice me, just like Seeder didn't. I'm not going to bother her yet though. I want her to finish whatever song she's singing.

When she does, she starts taking an arrow out and putting it with the bow. I decide this is the best time to talk to her.

"You have a really good voice!" I let her know.

The girl gets startled by my voice and nearly drops her bow. A few seconds after she is staring at me nervously.

"You were listening?" She asks me. I nod in response. "Um, thanks! I don't think I am that good though. I was just singing to ease my nerves a little…"

"You were great, don't think otherwise! What song were you singing?" I ask.

"Um…I haven't decided its name yet. But it's a song I wrote…" She mumbles, looking to the floor.

"You write music? Really?" I ask excitedly. "That's amazing! What other songs have you written?"

I can see her eyes light up a little as she starts explaining a couple of songs she has written and what the songs are supposed to mean. I listen attentively. I'm extremely interested and I'm impressed that someone else has a great appreciation for music.

"You have to sing for me again sometime! I'd like to hear some of your songs about your District!" I tell her. Then it dawns on me we don't know each other's name yet. I extend my hand. "I'm Nelson by the way. Nelson Sieg!"

"Ellie Moon!" She replies, taking my hand immediately. "And of course I can sometime! I'd love to! Maybe you can tell me about songs you know."

"Eh, it won't be as interesting as the ones you probably have." I tell her. "The ones I know suck. And I can't sing."

"I'm sure you can! And I'd still like to hear! Surely you know something good!" She giggles. I actually feel my smile grow larger. _She has a nice laugh._

We continue to talk for a few minutes and I start feeling like I'm back home in District 11. I feel as if I'm with Kellin and Louisa, my best friends. Ellie seems like a great girl and is awesome to talk to. She knows just as much about music as me! _And I can't help but notice that she is really cute…_

We keep talking until we hear a small noise. We look over and see the boy from District 6 at the archery station had made a direct hit in the center of his target. He starts grinning as he prepares another arrow. The arrow is another hit the second he lets it go.

"…he's good." I note with a bit of a sigh. I groan a little. He doesn't seem like the type who had born experience with the bow and arrow. He must have learned here. _He's already steps ahead of me…_

"He is…" Ellie frowns as well. I wonder what she's thinking, having started practicing by him. "…I already probably should get to practicing. I don't want to end up too far behind him and the others."

"Yeah, of course." I reply. "I'll talk to you later then!"

"Of course! I'll see you later Nelson!" She replies with a smile.

I know I should walk away and go back to the axe station but I feel an urge to hear her laugh again one last time. Before I go, I do the one thing that enters my head to do to make her laugh.

I get closer to her and start tickling her.

"Eek, stop! Stop!" She manages to say in between her laughs.

Eventually I do stop and I give her a quick smile. "Just felt like hearing your laugh again. You have a really cute laugh. I'll see you later Ellie!"

I start walking away, giving her a wave goodbye. I can see a blush form on her face as she starts waving goodbye to me as well.

When I make it back to the axe station, I immediately start practicing. I can't let the boy from District 6 or the other tributes get ahead of me too much. I need to make sure that I am as prepared as they are: that I am ready for the arena. Still, as focused as I am when I'm back at training, I can hear Ellie's laughter in the back of my head. She remains on my mind, no matter how focused I am on my training…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Next chapter is here! This next few chapters are going to feature a little more development of the tributes, there relationships with each other, skills, alliances, etc. You will get into their minds quite a bit before the Games start :)

One again, thank you guys for all the reviews! It's a milemarker that I broke fifty! You guys rock! :) Please review the next chapters though and just give me your opinions and advice. It can only make the story better! Thanks a lot though! I'll update as soon as I can! Until then :)


	9. Keeping the Pace: Training Day 2

**Adam Assange's POV – District 5**

I can hear myself screaming when I wake up from my sleep. My body is shaking badly. I haven't gotten good sleep at all since the reapings. _Nightmares._ They've been in my head since my first night of sleep on the train. They are always different but the overall feeling of dread is always the same. I'm always waking up screaming and close to tears.

Today is definitely no exception. I had just been dreaming of the bloodbath. The District 1 boy, Celsius I think his name is, had ran to me the second the Games began and started to torture me. He started stabbing me with various weapons that he could find in the cornucopia. I could hear the other tributes, even the non-careers, laughing as they watched him torture me. My nightmare finally ended when he decided to rip my head off with hands.

A very cynical thought enters my head when I start thinking back to my nightmare: is it really good thing to not be asleep? I may be away from the nightmares of my dreams, but now I'm awake in the place where my nightmares are reality. Celsius and the other tributes are all here, getting stronger and preparing for the bloodbath. The bloodbath is really coming.

_No! Don't think of that!_ I can't think of the bloodbath are such thoughts! I can't die! I just can't! Monty and mother are waiting for me to come home!

My mind starts drifting towards my family. I still don't know what happened at the Justice Building. I wasn't escorted by Monty, so I know his plan failed. I think mother talked to him and told him how dangerous the plan would have been. Yeah, and he realized it to. She's pretty demanding and can make sense of things. He knows I wouldn't want him to risk his life either. Yeah, that has to be it. They are home. They are waiting to see me again on television. They are hoping for me to come home…but that implies that I have to win the Games…

I really don't want to think about the Hunger Games right now. The best way to not think of the Games is just to get started with the day I guess. I get out of my bed and start putting on my clothes. I should just get ready for the day and focus on whatever I have to do today!

When I'm ready, I walk out of my room and join Viz, our mentors, our stylists, and our escort at breakfast. It's not surprising to me that I'm the last one in the room: my nightmare felt like forever, so I guess I was asleep for awhile.

"Good morning Adam! Sleep well?" Paris, the escort, asks me.

"…yes." I respond a little quietly. I don't really feel like explaining my nightmares aloud, especially not in the presence. We haven't talked too much, but based on what little I know of her, I can assume she would be rather happy and excited about that nightmare.

"Don't spend too much time eating Adam. Viz is already done and you both need to head to training today." The male mentor, Vino, informs us. He's normally always drinking wine and getting drunk, but whenever he's not, he's pretty serious and demanding.

"I won't, I won't." I respond. I know we need to get to training. It's our second day already and we need to make the most of the time we have to learn all we can.

"So why not you explain in more detail about yesterday." The female mentor, Ruth, orders. "We talked earlier but you both never gave too much specifics. Anything interesting about the other tributes? Or any new skills?"

"The Careers have been formed and they include the tributes from District One, Two, the boy from Three, and the girl from Four. I think the boy from Four is in as well but I'm not one hundred percent for certain. Of the Careers, the Three boy seems the most dangerous. I've seen him practice at the sword station and he has more than just skill. He might as well have natural talent." Viz notes. She stops speaking to take a sip of water from a cup before she continues. "I've also watched the Nine boy make a couple of allies. The Six boy's been practicing archery and he's getting pretty good. The Seven boy has a good arm with a spear. The girls from Three and Nine can make brilliant traps. The girls from Eight and Twelve also may have some skill with knives that could easily get better."

I start zoning out from her explanation as I take a second to gawk at Viz. I didn't even see her at the training session yesterday. How does she have so much knowledge on the other tributes? How did she get all of that information? Was she just watching the other tributes?

"As for me, I've already had experience and perfected my knife skills. I've worked with them a little here but I don't really need to." She finishes her explanation.

"…impressive." Vino whistles in approval. I almost roll my eyes. He has made his preferred tribute known for awhile. Of course he would approve of her information. "Pretty damn good analysis on the other tributes. I trust your judgment."

"What about you Adam?" Ruth asks me, turning the attention to me.

"Um…" I start getting a little nervous. How can I top that analysis Viz gave? Well, I guess I should just go with the truth. "I've started getting a little good with knives. I've been practicing for awhile now. And I think the boy from District Ten looks like he could be a threat in the arena…"

"Just because you can throw a knife better than the girl from Eleven does not make you good." Viz retorts, not even bothering to look at me. "And the boy from Ten is most certainly not a threat. He's an idiot. It'll be a miracle if he doesn't kill himself in the Games."

Her words hurt. I look down on the ground and I can almost feel my already wet eyes starting to let tears come out. I agree with her about the boy from Ten being an idiot. I just wanted to say something about one of the other tributes. But am I really not getting good with weapons? I had done a lot of time working on my skills with knives…

"Are you really that sensitive that words can break you? Have some confidence in yourself or you are going to die kid." Vino tells me coldly.

His voice has more emotion in it than Viz's voice, which makes his words hurt even more. I knew he favored Viz, but does he really think I'm going to die?

"…I'm not that hungry." I mumble, pushing my unfinished plate away. "…let's go to training."

"But Adam, you didn't eat anything! Considering how skinny you are, you need to eat!" Ruth tells me.

"No, we need to go to training. It is more important." I sigh. I'm tired of being weak. I don't want to be weak. I need to head to the training session already and start practicing.

"He's telling the truth." Viz adds as she gets up from her chair.

She turns to me and stares. Her dark green eyes feel like knives digging into my body as she continues to stare.

"We only have two more days of training Adam. Make it worth it, so that way you aren't on the receiving end of a blade." She tells me. I gulp a little, which I notice makes her smile.

_She is insane. She is completely insane and terrifying._

_But the worst part is that she is telling the truth._ We do have only two more days, and if I am to live, I have to make use of the time left. I have to come home.

* * *

><p><strong>Topovska Hrana's POV – District 6<strong>

The second our elevator opens when we arrive at the training floor, Sermina bolts off, heading in some unknown direction. She did the same thing yesterday. I didn't even see her at all and I predict I won't see her today. I hope that wherever she is going, she's getting the survival experience she needs. She doesn't talk much and seems a little awkward around me, probably due to her autism, but I happen to really like her and I wish that if I weren't able to come home, that she would be able to.

I don't spend too much time worrying about her though. I need to focus on myself. I need to make sure that I can come home. That's why I'm here in this room after all!

As if by instinct, I walk straight back to the archery station and pick up a bow. Poklon suggested the bow to me when we talked before the first training session. He was right: I seem to be getting better with it. Granted I started out rather poorly, but I seem to be getting the hang of it through listening to the instructors and just learning from trial and error. I occasionally can get lucky and hit the center of the targets, but I need to make sure that in the arena, I can do the same thing and not have to rely on luck.

I ready my bow with an arrow and release. I watch the arrow make contact with the target a few centimeters off. _Not a bad start for the day…_

I spend a good while just practicing with my bow and arrow again. It's almost funny how much more consistent I am in comparison to yesterday. All my arrows are landing in a similar pattern near the center of the target. Occasionally I'll make another bullseye. I just need to keep practicing to make _occasionally_ turn into _always._

I hear a couple of footsteps approach the training station after awhile. I don't turn to who it is. I'm expecting it to be the girl from Ten or the boy from Eight. Ellie and Corbin I believe their names are. They came by the archery station and practice here as well. It would only make sense they would come back to keep practicing!

"You got good aim District Six." A voice informs me rather coldly.

_That doesn't sound like Ellie or Corbin._ I turn my head and look at the boy standing right by me. If I recall correctly, his name is Cannon, the District 2 tribute.

I can feel myself get a little intimidated being in the presence of one of the Careers, but there's no point. I have no clue why he's talking to me, so why get worried yet. Just bring up casual conversation.

"I'm trying to get better. I have a knack for learning things, so I'm making progress." I respond a little warily to his statement.

"I don't really care how you're learning, I'm just noticing that you are good with a bow." He dismisses my statement. "It's a shame you won't be able to use a bow in the arena."

I frown at his implication. I don't like him. Not one bit. I recognize that he is implying that I will die beforehand, but I decide to be a smart-aleck with him. It's a natural habit that I perform too often on people I dislike.

"Usually bows are in the arena. Most weapons here are usually there. That's why we are allowed to train with them. I believe there will be bows in the arena and I will get my hands on one." I respond with a shrug before turning back to the station.

"Oh bows will be in the arena. I'm just going to make sure you won't get one. You'll be dead before you can even see one." Cannon tells me, the coldness in his voice getting even colder. I can feel chills going over my spine.

_How do you respond to someone who is threatening your life?_ I really don't like talking to Cannon, so I just ready another arrow in my bow. I don't want to talk to him. Just ignore him and he'll go away. That's what I do when I'm being annoyed by some jock bully-type student back at school. He'll eventually get bored and walk away.

Cannon doesn't go away though for some time. He spends awhile just watching me load arrows and launching them. For the next few minutes, he starts making sarcastic remarks every time my arrows don't make direct contact with the center. I continue to ignore him though. I just keep loading more arrows.

In time, my prediction turns out to be accurate. I hear the District 2 boy give an annoyed sigh and I can hear him walking away. I turn to see if I am right and I can see him retreating away.

"Remember this District Six: you are going to die. Keep practicing though if you want to waste away whatever time you have left alive. I don't really care." Cannon tells me as his figure keeps retreating.

The coldness returns to my spine. No bully at school has ever been as intimidating as him. I firmly believe he has the strength to kill me. Nevertheless, I can't focus on that. I load another arrow into my bow and launch it. I was expecting to miss, maybe due to my fears about Cannon, but I watch as my arrow makes bullseye again.

I can feel a smirk developing on my face. _Yes, you probably can kill me Cannon. However, I believe I can kill you to. I have the skills to do so. Come after me if you want. I'll make sure I end up surviving._

"Impressive. Very impressive." Another voice tells me.

I turn around, completely stunned to see the District 9 boy, Iago, looking at me. I did not hear any footsteps approach. _How did he get so close to me and not make any noise?_ That doesn't seem right!

"…thanks." I respond warily. I don't want to enter into any hostile conversation like I did with Cannon. I'm going to make sure any conversation I have with Iago is relatively pleasant.

"You have great aim. And talent." He notes with a grin on his face that I can't read. I can't tell by his voice or by his facial expression what he's thinking, which bothers me. "We need to have a little talk, District Six."

_Just let it be anything unlike the one with Cannon._ I sigh, pushing away thoughts of my last encounter with a tribute and nod my head. Whatever Iago has to tell me may be important. It's time to listen and take note of anything he tells me.

* * *

><p><strong>Faith Cale's POV – District 8<strong>

At some point in my training, I realize that I am much better with knives in close-hand combat than with throwing knives. I'm not too good at throwing knives at targets but I can stab a practice dummy pretty well.

I keep practicing with my knives as the training station. I occasionally turn to see the District 12 girl, Roshan, practicing knives as well. I think we are relatively on the same level in terms of skill, which is good for me! My practice continues until I decide I need to spend some more time at the survival stations.

I put my knives down and start walking to the survival stations. When I get to them, I notice that Corbin is there at the station on camouflage. I decide it might be a good idea to learn with him, since we are kind of allied together. I walk over to the station and sit down next to him.

"Faith! How's today going?" He asks me when he notices me arrive.

"Good! I think I'm getter with knives and I'll probably be fine in the arena! You?" I ask him the same question curiously. I haven't really seen him all day so I want to know what he's been doing.

"Well good except that I'm still irritated that they don't have slingshots here." He pouts. He was complaining all day yesterday about there being no station for slingshots. He obviously hasn't gotten over it yet.

"Still complaining that your one talent won't be in the arena I see!" I teasingly note to him.

"Hey, it's not my only talent! Come on!" Corbin retorts immediately. I laugh at how easily flustered he gets. "I've also gotten pretty good with a bow and arrow, so I'll be able to help in the arena! I have more than just one talent!"

"I believe you, I believe you. I have a feeling the three of us will do just fine in terms of survival for the first few days!" I tell him. I know we should be more worried about our survival, but I feel as if we will be fine for the first few days. I'm trying to avoid most thoughts about the arena and impending death, so I like to think that everything we learn is going to help us all survive.

Corbin's face seems to drop though after that statement. I start wondering why but he opens his mouth to speak first.

"Do you think we can really trust him? Kai that is?" He asks me.

Oh! Of course he's worried about that. The third member of our alliance. Yesterday, the District 4 boy, Kai, approached us and just started talking. He seemed like a really nice guy and completely unlike how I expected most tributes from the Career Districts to be. He threw out the idea of us all being in an alliance and we all agreed to it. It sounded perfect to me when we agreed. Corbin's probably worried about the alliance considering his district.

"I don't think there's anything to worry about with Kai. He may be from District Four, but I don't think he's a Career. He doesn't have the right attitude." I explain my reasoning.

"Well yeah, he's pretty nice, but I'm just thinking. He was talking to the girl from District One right after we were done talking with him, so I'm worried if he's playing us into some trap." Corbin counters.

Corbin does have a point but Kai seems too nice to actually try something like that. I think he wouldn't try and trick us if he is really trying to kill us. But what if it is all an act? I have been told that I am too trusting and believing of people, so maybe I'm just being naïve. Maybe it is all some clever ruse. I push the thoughts out though: I just don't think they are true.

"Hey! Will you two shut up already?" A voice shouts at us.

Corbin and I look up and see the District 2 girl sitting right by us at the station. I think her name was Inara. Either way, I remember her as the aggressive and loud Career who seems constantly pissed off. And now she's pissed off at us for some reason.

"Exactly why should we? Noise distracting you from something?" I ask rather sarcastically.

"Why yes it is actually! I'm trying to learn about camouflage and how to survive, so you two can just shut up and let me listen!" Inara hisses at us.

"A Career learning about survival?" I ask, my voice mixed with sarcasm and curiosity. I am actually curious as to why she is here. The other members of her alliance have all been sticking with practicing weapons the whole time. I don't think I've seen a single one head out to learn about fire making, camouflage, hunting, or any basic survival skills really.

"Well duh, since we are going into the Hunger Games!" She rolls her eyes.

I open my mouth to speak some remark back to her but I'm interrupted by my District partner.

"Hey Faith! We should really go talk to our buddy, shouldn't we?" Corbin tells me with some hesitation and worry in his voice. I can tell he's trying to get me and Inara separated before our argument continues to develop.

"Sure thing." I reply with a bit of an eye roll.

I don't even look at Inara as we get up and walk away. We walk away from the survival stations where she is at and head to the station with spears. Kai is there, practicing. We watch him throw a spear and make direct contact with its head. _That skill must have come from training in District 4. It would make him a valuable ally! Corbin and I could really benefit from having him with us in the arena! But his skills would also make him a dangerous Career…what side is he really with?_

When Kai goes to get another spear, he notices that Corbin and I are walking to him. I can see him smile a little as he walks away from his practice and towards us.

"Hey Faith! Corbin! How are you two?" He asks us.

"We're fine, thanks!" I reply, smiling back. In my head though, I'm trying to think on how to judge this boy. Is he a perfect ally for me and Corbin? Or is he a Career tricking us? Corbin could be right after all and he could very be the death of us. Whichever it is, I have to find out before the arena starts. I can't let myself be naïve and be the cause of our death. I have to watch him for now. I need to see who he really is aligned with…

* * *

><p><strong>Inara Abusi's POV – District 2<strong>

God that District 8 girl is annoying! She seemed perfectly normal with the boy but the second I complained about them talking to loud she got all feisty and crap. Her tone of voice reminded me a little bit of mine, which isn't a good thing. I've got enough aggression in me to fill the world: I don't want to have to deal with anyone else like that! Thankfully though she and her District partner left to go bug some other guy. That just leaves me alone at the survival stations…

I yawn as I try and stay attentive to the lady instructing me on camouflage. She's pretty boring as crap, but I know that I need to learn basic survival skills for the arena. Father worked me to death for the Games but only in weapon training. I never got taught proper survival skills. So here I am, trying to retain as much survival tips and advice as I can before I'm sent off into the arena. _I just wish this instructor wasn't so frickin boring!_

Eventually she finishes her lecture and I stand up and look at the other survival stations. I probably should head to them too. With a sigh, I get up from my seat and start walking.

The other stations are just like the one on camouflage. The instructors are all boring and make the lectures suck but I'm remaining as attentive as I can in order to learn every survival skill I can. I know no other Career is bothering themselves with these stations. They probably think they don't need it. _Well the joke's on them when they don't know how to get food or start a fire! I could probably just survive out survive them all! Wouldn't that be great? It'd be less blood on my hands, which is how I would like it!_

By the time I leave the station on fire making, I feel completely prepared. I'll probably return later to check my info and practice them, since the lectures aren't too long (just boring as crap). Still, I feel like I could adequately survive out in the arena. I feel like I have been using my time wisely during these training days instead of practicing with weapons that I'd already perfected. I guess I should spend some time practicing weapons though, now that I've gone over all the survival information I could. With a sigh, I start walking over to the station on axes.

"Inara! Wait up! Can we talk?" A voice I recognize as Aqua's, the District 4 girl, calls out to me.

_Looks like training won't happen._ I sigh again as I turn to face Aqua. She looks a little bruised and tired, probably from overexertion during her training sessions. _Idiot!_

"What do you want Aqua?" I ask her.

"Just to talk!" She tells me. She opens her mouth to speak again but I cut her off.

"Look, I'm going to tell you something about me. I'm not the type of person who likes wasting time or beating around the bush. So just tell me what you want!" I state rather bluntly. Everything I said is true and I'd rather her not avoid the subject when we talk. She just needs to tell me what she wants! It's not that hard!

"Er…" Aqua looks to the ground , a little shocked at my bluntness. "…I wanted to know if you want to work with me."

"Hmm? Isn't that point of the Career alliance anyway?" I ask, slightly rolling my eyes. I'm trying to see where she is getting at.

"Well yeah, but I want us to have a stronger alliance. Just the two of us. When the Careers break apart, I'd like for us to stick together and team up on the others." She explains.

"…why?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. I don't see the point of this. By the point of the Career breakup, there will only be a few tributes. Why would she still want to work with someone?

"…well I don't trust everyone in the Careers. I would much prefer one on one with someone I can trust. So I think I can trust you and you can trust me. We would look out for each other while in the Careers and be able to work after for a little while. Maybe until the final six? Does that sound good?" She asks me.

_Trust. She…thinks she can trust me? _The very concept surprises me. How can she trust me when she doesn't even know me and is about to enter the Hunger Games, where we are going to have to kill each other in order to survive? Despite all of all these factors, I'm rather untrusting in general. I won't trust her, so why would she even think of trusting me?

"…you think you can trust me? Why?" I finally ask the very thoughts I was thinking.

"Well, you don't seem as bloodthirsty as the others. Aggressive yes but not crazy. You seem kind of like myself a little actually! And I can tell you don't want to kill anyone, so I don't think I have to worry about you stabbing me in the back." She explains her thoughts.

"How do you know I don't?" I ask bluntly again, narrowing my eyebrows. She's right. I don't want to be in the Games and I don't want to kill anybody. Not after I saw how damaging it feels to lose somebody to the Games. Still, how would she know I didn't want to kill?

"I can just tell the way the Games were ever brought up when all of the Careers are together. Besides, you spent all of your time at survival stations I think! That's really not a Career mentality! We usually are more concerned with last minute weapons training!" Aqua informs me.

I groan. I guess she has some logic behind her reasoning. That bothers me though that she can read me even a little bit. I don't want my desire not to kill being public knowledge. Not when I'm in the Career pack.

"I think I can trust you, so I hope you can trust me. We can probably do some damage together and help each other survive!" Aqua informs me again of her little alliance idea.

"…fine. We can work together." I tell her, ashamed a little at the words I just said. _Did I seriously agree to this?_

"Awesome!" She tells me. "We should probably get back to practice, so I'll see you in a little bit! Good luck! Remember our promise!"

"Yeah, sure thing. Same to you." I repeat her words as she walks away.

I watch Aqua make her way back to the knives station before I start walking myself. My mind is still focused on our deal. I'm still bothered that she figured out I didn't want to kill anyone. It also bothers me that she can trust me based on that fact. Wouldn't that mean I can't trust her, since she seems relatively okay with killing? Ugh! This is troublesome…

_Whatever. I'll work with her, whether I trust her or not. She can trust me. I just won't trust her. I'll be sure to sleep with one eye open if we end up working solo anytime…_

* * *

><p><strong>Ellie Moon – District 10<strong>

I used to be pretty good with a bow and arrow before I came the Games. Actually, I still am good, but I can't help but feel nervous or upset every time I release an arrow. It's never good enough! I'm going into the arena and I need to be better! I can't afford to be just 'good.' I need to be perfect in order to come home, or at the very least, better. _Why can't I be better? Why can't I always have perfect accuracy every time?_

I pull on my bow and release an arrow. It misses the center by a few centimeters but enough to bother me. I groan as my thoughts continue to grow worse.

_It won't do me any good to be stressed!_ I'm too worried about my skills and I'm thinking too much about them. A small break, to think about anything other than the Games, will probably make me shoot better. It'll also make me feel better as well! I go over and set down my bow and start thinking about the first thing to come into my head that's not the Games.

It surprised me though that the first thing I thought of was Nelson.

Nelson coming up to me yesterday was a complete surprise that I'm still thinking about! Considering that my partner is Big Bob, one of the rudest and most idiot people I've ever met, I was worried about what the other tributes would be like. Nelson was completely different than any of my expectations. He was rather funny, charming, and sweet. He was very polite and had the same love for music that I had! He actually reminded me a little of my friends from home in District 10! He's a great guy and helped me feel a lot better yesterday, when I was feeling just like I do now, like crap because of my archery skills. _I guess it shouldn't be surprising that I thought of him now: he really did help me feel better!_

It also helps that he's pretty attractive too. I keep that thought in the back of my head though. There's no point in thinking of that right now.

A thought occurs me to look for him. If I'm going to take a break, I might as well spend it relaxing and talking with someone. Besides, I was probably going to think about him anyway so it would be better to just to talk to him!

I start walking over to the nearby axe station. Nelson is there, like he was yesterday. There are a couple of other tributes there too, but the only one that surprises me is the boy from District 9. He's talking to Nelson right now. As I walk up to the station, I stand a little in the back, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

At some point, I see Nelson look over his shoulder and I realize he saw me. He waves to me and then goes back to his conversation with Nine boy. I see him tell something about me, as he pointed to me. The Nine boy looks in thought for a second before he nods his head, shakes Nelson's hand, and walks away. I start walking up to him when their conversation is over.

"Ellie! How are you doing?" He asks me, a smile on his face.

_I really like his smile..._wait what I am even thinking? I can't be thinking like that before the Games!

"I'm doing good, thanks!" I tell him, smiling back. "What was the Nine boy asking you?"

"Him? He wanted to ask about me joining his alliance. Apparently he's getting a group together in the arena. I'd told him I'd join on one condition." Nelson informs me.

"Which would be?" I ask him curiously.

"That it included you." He told me, which caused me to stare at him in disbelief. "He approved so it's all okay! We're in it!"

_Did Nelson just get me into an alliance? And that was the only way he'd join? But why? _

"…why was that the only condition? Why did I need to be in it too?" I mumble. I don't understand why Nelson would care enough to get me involved in an alliance. Sure he was a nice guy, but I didn't think he would care enough to try and do something to help me!

"I think the alliance stands a good chance of succeeding in the Games. And I wouldn't want to leave you out of that success!" He responds, his smile getting even bigger. "I want you to be okay in the Games, so I had to make sure you got in. And also, that makes us allies now."

I was still shocked. I can't believe he went out of his way to get me involved in an alliance. That he would care enough to do that. _He actually cares about me._ Someone in the Games actually cares about me!

"I can't believe you did that…thank you!" I tell him. I end up doing something that surprises me a little: I give him a hug.

"It's no problem! Least I could do for you!" Nelson states. "So, what's been up with you?"

Nelson and I continue to talk for awhile but in the back of my head, I am still shocked. There are times in my life where I don't even care about myself. I actually think those things a lot: I sort of hate myself at times. Still, to have someone care for me at a time like this and go out of their way to get in me involved into an alliance is surprising. I honestly can't believe it. I can't believe someone, a fellow tribute that I just met at that, would care that much.

_Nelson…why couldn't you have been from District 10? Why couldn't I have met you there?_ Nelson and I continue to talk about random things that make me avoid the terrifying thoughts of the Games. My thoughts are currently on him. I have a weird feeling that he'll still be on my mind even after we're done talking.

* * *

><p><strong>Damien Todd's POV – District 12<strong>

I don't think most of the tributes have seen me at all since the training sessions started. After all, I haven't seen them yesterday or today. But I've been here. I've been spending all of my time at one single station in the corner of the room that I doubt most of the tributes even know about.

I've been spending all my time learning about poisons. While the station I'm at is supposed to be focused on treating poison, it also teaches anyone interested on how to use and create poisons.

The only tributes I've seen even come here are the girl tributes from 6 and 11. The girl from 11 came by a couple of times and asked questions about how effective darts would be if they were dipped in poison. I was pretty interested in that question and I wonder if I could get knives or arrows dipped with poison. The girl from 6, Sermina I think her name was, has been here at the station as long as I have. I think she is more interested in learning about he science behind the poisons, however. I'm more interested in the practicality and its effectiveness.

The instructor comes to look at the poison I've been working on. She studies it, sticks a metal rod in it to take a sample, and then sticks the sample into her computer to analyze.

"The poison you've designed is one that takes about six to eight hours after exposure to act. Side effects include nausea and weakening of the muscles. Death is rather unlikely. The benefits in the arena would include that the cure for such poison is rather expensive or the tribute would require medical assistance. It would weaken opponents easily and prove a valuable asset!" The instructor reveals the information about the poison I created.

I can't help but smile. It's much more powerful than the first poison I spent all day yesterday working on. Its side effect was the equivalent of a common cold (which, of course, is the most dangerous of all diseases). This one seems feasible to make and would benefit me a lot in the arena.

"What is the proper scientific terminology for the poison?" Sermina ask as she writes notes about in on paper. Yep, she's more interested in the science behind it.

"A really long sounding name." I tell her with a laugh. Sermina gives me a look that I can only assume is a glare, which makes me laugh louder. Strangely, I laugh more when people don't get my jokes. Some say it is awkward when people don't, but I don't see it that way. It just makes the situation seem funnier to me.

The instructor rolls her eyes before she answers Sermina's question. It is no surprise that the name is, in fact, a really long sounding name. _Go figure!_

I start zoning out Sermina and the instructor's conversation on poisons and the rest of the lecture as I drift to my thoughts. I start thinking of a question I asked yesterday of the instructor. I remember asking what the most potent poison she thought would be possible to create in the arena. She told me of one that was possible a few years back: one 'affectionately' referred to as the Black Death. It got its name from causing the insides of those affected to turn black after death. Effects came about twenty-four hours after contact with the poison and was guaranteed death four hours after side-effects kicked in. There was also no medicinal cure designed as of yet, since the poison is so rare and hard to make. No sponsor would save any tribute afflicted.

I go back to my poisons and start working on them. The concept of the Black Death fills my mind. _I can create it. I know I can. I know I'm smart enough to be able to make it._ A poison like that is the strongest weapon of all, even more so than the greatest designed sword in the hands of the most trained Career. Poison is instant death. It has no chance to fail. _It's one of life's cruel jokes._

I continue working on it with the intent of creating the Black Death. I intend to unleash it in the arena. It'll be, ironically, my ticket home and away from my death. It'll be how I get home to District 12 and my brother. I don't have a second to waste! I continue working on its design, trying to perfect, trying to create it. I will find some way to produce it when I get into the arena! I will make sure of it! _I'll becoming home brother…don't you worry about that!_

* * *

><p><strong>Baroque "Brock" Role's POV – District 7<strong>

I am interrupted from my spear training when I see the little girl from District 11 run by the station in a panic. This isn't the first time she's done that either. She keeps running back in forth from various stations uncertainly. She also seems extremely nervous, as she is blushing every time she runs by. I think she's really flustered and can't tell what she wants to learn for the arena. I think she's worried about her survival in the Games.

_Survival._ I can't help but frown when I think that such a little girl will be going into the Hunger Games. She's only a twelve year old and has been sent off to her death. That isn't right at all. Every time I see and the scared look on her face, I can't help but imagine what if Thalia, Marie, or Lolly were put in the Games. How would my sisters react to being in the Games? Would they be the same way? I can't imagine what it would feel like. Just thinking of them in the Games makes me feel even more sympathy for the little girl.

I look over to see the girl from 11 is at the knot station, learning about traps. As I stare at her, I start thinking of her chance of survival. It almost seems completely unlikely. If there was one tribute to bet on that would die in the bloodbath, she might be the one receiving the most votes.

_Maybe I can help her._ Perhaps I could be a friend and an ally to her. I could help give her a chance in the Games. Keep her alive and give her a fighting chance to come home. It's the least she deserves.

With the thought placed in my head, I walk up to her in the knot station. She's currently working on some trap that I'm not for certain if she is building correctly. I decide to sit down and work on a trap myself. It may be helpful in the Games and it will give me a chance to talk to her.

"Hi." I tell her. I almost frown at how simple and stupid that sounded, but I know I'm not much of a talker so I push the thoughts out.

She looks over to me and her mouth drops. I don't really know why. Is this the first time she's seen me? Sure I look big but I'm not the biggest one here, so it can't be that. Maybe she just realized that I was a tribute. I do blend in with the background relatively way. Either way, she gets shocked by my presence. She then turns beat red and looks as if she is considering running from the station.

"Um…hello…" She mumbles as she looks at the ground and away from me.

_Ah! I think she's like me. She's not good with talking to people._She's probably shy whereas I'm just a quiet person, but I understand her a little better now. She was probably bothered because she didn't know me and I tried to talk to her.

"My name's Brock. What's yours?" I ask her, holding out my hand for her to shake.

"…my name is Jamor. But everyone calls me Jay." She tells me as she shakes my hand tentatively.

"You're working on nets. I haven't done them before. Do you mind giving me some tips?" I ask her.

Her eyes light up a little in surprise and excitement. I recognize that her traps aren't too good so far but I think she would like the idea of feeling like she had something she was skilled in. I seem to be right though, as she stops blushing a little and perks up.

"S-Sure! Let me show you work with them!" Jay tells me rather excitedly as she takes some of the rope in my hand and starts working on some knots.

In a few minutes, Jay has instructed me on how to make a couple of knots and basic traps. They aren't the greatest traps I think, but they are effective and I can tell she feels proud of them. I decide to go along with her wishes by following her instructions.

"Does this look like yours?" I ask her curiously after I finish a trap

Jay studies it for a second before she nods. "Mhmm! That looks just like mine! Actually, yours looks a little stronger than mine! You're better at them than I am!"

"Well I don't know. You were the one who showed me how to work with the nets." I tell her, which causes her to smile.

"I guess so…" She mumbles, still smiling.

Silence falls over us for a little while. I happen to enjoy silence, so it doesn't bother me that much. I think she feels the same way. Still, the silence is interrupted, as she turns to me.

"Brock?" She says my name as if she has a question for me.

"Yes?" I respond.

"…why are you talking with me and working on traps? I mean…don't you think it would be better for you to work on other stuff?" She asks a little sheepishly.

I look at her for a second before I shake my head. "I actually wanted to work on traps and with you. And I'd like to continue working with you in the arena."

Jay's eyes go wide for a second as she stares at me, almost in disbelief.

"You…you want me as a partner?" She asks disbelievingly. "You want an alliance with me?"

"I do." I tell her. "You remind me a little of my sisters. I want to be there to help you."

"Sister…" She repeats the word for a second to her. I wonder if she a sister based on the way she says it. She eventually turns back to me with a bit of a grin on her face. The blush on her face seems to be almost gone, which I guess is a sign that she's more comfortable with me. "I'd love to work with you! Thanks Brock!"

"No problem." I tell her, returning her grin with a smile. She really does remind me of my sisters. She has a little bit of each of their personalities and is someone who I feel needs help in the Games.

I've decided right then and there. I'm doing anything I can to help Jay make it father in the Games. If I die because of it, so be it. I won't die a monster that way. But I'm going to help give her a fighting chance in the Games…

* * *

><p><strong>Akira "Aki" Himura's POV – District 7<strong>

I bow to the instructor at the wrestling station. He agreed to let me spar with him in order to help hone my skills in the martial arts. He bows in response to mine and gets in a stance. I get in a stance of my own. Our sparring begins. He runs over to be and tries to strike first but I dodge. I avoid an uppercut from him and counter with a quick palm to his chest.

"You have great technique." He informs me while he attempts to strike at me again.

I don't respond as we continue our sparring session. I'm always focused when I'm fighting. I can't talk right now. We continue to spare for awhile until I deliver one last swift blow to his chest.

"Enough! That'll do! I give!" He groans, holding up his hand. I immediately drop my stance. "You fight well! I've never seen a fighting style like that!"

"Thank you sir!" I respond as I give him a bow. "You fought well yourself. I learned a lot from watching your fighting style in action."

"Eh, I couldn't touch you at all during our sparring! You already know everything you need: I didn't teach you anything! You won't lose in a hand-to-hand combat situation, I can tell you that!" He praises me.

I thank him for his praise before I walk away. He may not think it, but I did learn a lot from our spar and his style. He did help. I haven't sparred with anyone since my father's last day at home, so I felt like the practice was needed and sufficient. I also am not used to fighting people with a more strength orientated style. He may not have hit me but I can tell exactly how powerful the instructor was from his moves. The session was very useful and will only prove to help me in the arena.

_Now, where to next?_ I've learned most survival information but I haven't done it all. Since I refuse to go stations that use weapons, I decide it might be the best idea to head over and learn more survival information. I start walking in the direction after I made up my mind.

Along way to the stations, I see another figure walking towards me. As we get closer to each other, I recognize the figure to be Iago.

"Aki." He says my name as he reaches me.

"Hello Iago! Are you here to tell me about allies?" I ask him. That's what he promised to me yesterday, so I'm guessing that must be it.

The District 9 boy nods. "I've recruited Topovska, the District Six boy, Nelson, the District Eleven boy, and Ellie, the District Ten girl. They all seem rather loyal and seem like good allies. I think they will most likely be of assistance during the arena!"

I nod in understanding. I approve of the allies he recruited. All three seem very loyal, like he said. They also seem like the type who wouldn't want to hunt other tributes. They will make good allies and I think we will all benefit from this alliance.

"So do you have any specific game plans you wanted to discuss on how the alliance will work?" I ask him curiously. Now that he has more allies, I'm wondering what else he has planned.

"Still piling up ideas in my head for us. I need some more time to think before I tell everybody. I do have some advice on our private sessions with the gamemakers but I'd like to give that to everybody on the day of the session. Probably would better for us." He tells me with a shrug.

"Hmm, I see." I mumble. I understand, but I would have liked to have heard more information. Iago seems like the type who is always thinking, so I'm sure he must have something to say!

"I'll tell more when it comes. But I just wanted to let you know who are our allies." He tells me. "Now, I have to get going. I need to get some last minute training in with some daggers and knives! I'll come and let you know when I get some ideas! Until then!"

"Understood! Good luck!" I tell him.

Iago gives me a wave as he walks away heading to the knife section. I watch him walk away very curiously.

_I can't believe that he has nothing to say._ I can understand the idea about wanting to tell us about the gamemaker sessions later, but he has nothing else besides that? He has a look that's always scheming, so I can't believe he hasn't thought of more! I wonder if he's hiding something from us. Some part of his plans that he doesn't want us to know yet. It wouldn't surprise me: I don't completely trust him yet.

_So then why did I align with him?_ I take a second to think about that. Iago may seem a little untrustworthy and cunning, but I can't help but see a little bit of myself in him. There's something in him that reminds me of myself. Maybe something with his past is similar to mine? I don't really know but he reminds me of myself a little. I can also tell that he really isn't a bad person. He has someone he wants to get home to really bad. I can tell from his eyes: they look as focused and determined as I am. I can't help but relate to him a little. I don't regret my alliance with him. I may not completely trust him, but I feel like our alliance is good. I don't think he will screw us over…at least not right away. I'll sleep with one eye open though in the arena to be careful though...

I start walking off to a station on fire making, thinking back to Iago and the alliance we created. It's a rather big one. I think if we all stick together, we can make sure that we all survive till the very end and that one of us can go home. That would be great! I head to the station to learn, thinking of how our alliance is going to work. I'll design some plans of my own to throw out to the group, to help us get by in the Games.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Here's the next chapter people! :) Guess what? Five more chapters until the arena begins! I'm excited for it! That's where the story really picks up! It's going to be a lot of fun! :)

Any criticism is appreciated, so please review! Tell me what you liked and didn't like! :) Quick question: have your favorites changed? Any new ones? Any new least favorites?

I'll update as soon as I can! Until then :)


	10. Last Chance: Training Day 3

**Viz Candela's POV – District 5**

"Good morning Viz! Sleep well?" Our escort, Paris, asks me as I walk out of my room.

I don't give him a response except a small nod of the head. He talks too much and I don't like talking much. I merely walk to my seat at the table. The mentors are already there, waiting for me and Adam. The only person not present is Adam, who is probably screaming in his sleep again.

_Adam._ He's starting to get interesting to watch. My comments yesterday apparently set him off. He stayed at the knife station the whole day, not stopping his practice until he passed out in exhaustion. He actually seems to be improving and he seems like he could be a threat in the arena.

_Too bad for him that he still doesn't have the right attitude._ He can improve his skills all he wants; he is still a pathetic crybaby who doesn't want to be here. He won't be able to kill a single person in the arena. He'll probably cry the second the Games start. He might even pass out and die right there in the beginning. Wouldn't surprise me at all. Adam can improve his skills but until he stops being pathetic and changes the way he thinks, he's going to die. Who knows, maybe it'll be me who ends up killing him? I wouldn't have any problem doing it.

Everyone at the table decides to start eating when I get there. I guess they know Adam is going to take awhile to get up. Silence covers the table as we start eating. It remains silent until the door to Adam's room opens about twenty or thirty minutes after we start eating.

"Adam! Good morning! Sleep well?" Paris asks him the same question he asked me.

"Fine, thank you." Adam responds as he sits at the table.

Paris smiles at his words, oblivious to the fact that Adam is obviously not okay. Did he not hear his screams in the night: the screams he's been screaming every night? Does he not see the bruises on him from yesterday? Does he not see how tired and worn out the boy looks? I feel as if Capitol citizens are not as intelligent or observant as other people. Anyone who can't see that Adam is not 'fine' is clearly not an intelligent and functioning person.

"Welcome to the club buddy!" Vino tells Adam as he drinks more wine. He is obviously drunk, as he is never this friendly with Adam.

"Eat well Adam. It's the last day of training and you need to make sure you are strong for it!" Ruth requests of him in the motherly tone of voice she always has.

Her words stay in my head. _It's the last day of training._ There are only a few more days until we are sent into the Games. The other tributes are probably worried and working to make sure they don't die in the arena through last minute training. I know I'll be fine so I'm not going to worry or cram in too much excess training. I just need to get some small extra practice, but nothing too excessive. That won't be necessary.

"So do you guys have any information like you did yesterday?" Paris asks us.

"I've gotten better with knives." Adam announces as he chews on some toast. He seems more confident than he did yesterday. I decide I don't like him being confident. I much prefer the boy who is always crying. I should do something about any new confidence he has.

"Better yes but not great. Anyone would get better after training. The girls from Eight, Twelve, Three, and Four are better than you. As is the boy from One, the boy from Nine, and myself. You are going to have to train more if you want to stand a chance." I inform him.

Just mentioning the other tributes and their skills makes his confidence go away. It must be rather low if merely mentioning the other tributes destroyed it.

"Do you have anything you would like to share on the other tributes?" Paris asks him, trying to get his esteem back.

Adam's face continues to fall. "I…I spent most of my time just training. I didn't watch the others."

"Therefore, he wasn't paying attention to the alliance formed between the girl from Eleven and the boy from Seven. Not like it matters much. The girl from Eleven will be an early death and slow him down." I mention. "Other than that, nothing too important to note. I believe the tributes from Eight and the boy from Four might have an alliance going on, which could cause conflicts with the Careers. Might be interesting to watch what happens between that during the Games."

"Impressive deduction as always Viz!" Vino mumbles between sips of wine. "Come on Adam! Step it up! Give a better analysis if you want to be on her level"

Adam looks down to the ground. I'm guessing he's about to cry. That's just what I was trying to get him to do. I happen to enjoy watching him, or anybody, cry. I enjoy seeing others suffer. Destroying any confidence Adam obtained from yesterday and seeing about to cry again only helps create a grin on my face.

"Are you okay Adam?" Ruth asks him, rushing to his side to try and cheer him up.

"I'm fine…I feel like we should get to training." He mumbles, getting up from the table.

I nod at his words, getting up myself.

We bid farewell to everyone in the room before we head to the elevator. We start heading down, going to the training center. Adam still looks like a wreck. I still can't help but smirk. _If this how you react to words, than I can't wait to see how you react to a knife in your back._

* * *

><p><strong>Cannon Estate's POV – District 2<strong>

Today's our final day of training. Just one more day closer to the arena. It's almost here and I can barely contain my excitement. Just going down the elevator heading towards the training center makes me feel energized!

When the elevator stops and we arrive in the training center, Inara and I walk our separate ways to different stations. I don't really know where she goes but I honestly don't care. I'm personally excited to have any time away from her. She's disrespectful towards pretty much anybody, including me! She's from District 2 as well so she should know the influence of my family in the District. She should know the family I'm from and should be trying to be a little respectful to me. The fact that she doesn't try really irritates me. As far as I'm concerned, she needs to stay away from me for as long as possible. Not until the arena at least. If we have to work with each other, then we need as limited contact as possible before I finally snap at her disrespect!

I stop thinking about Inara when I arrive at a station I've spending a lot of time at: a station with baseball bats, pipes, and other blunt objects. _My type of weapon._ I pick up a steel pipe at the station and walk over to a practice dummy. I proceed to swing the pipe at the dummy multiple times. I can see the dummy continue to tear apart more with each blow I land on it. When my final blow hits, the dummy completely falls apart to the ground.

"Hey, I do have other dummies, remember? Why must you always stick with the same one?" The instructor mumbles the same things he told me yesterday.

"Because if they were other tributes, you can't just stop in the middle of your attack and move on to another one. You have to beat the crap out of them and make sure they are dead before moving to the next target." I roll my eyes as I repeat what I had told him yesterday and the day before. _It's common sense._ How does the instructor not get that? He's the one in charge of teaching people how to use blunt objects for crying out loud! He should know this crap!

Like previously, the instructor just shrugs and I ignore him as I move on to another dummy. I raise the pipe to swing but I stop when I hear somebody's voice.

"Don't you have better things to be doing Cannon?" The voice asks me.

I turn my head and see Celsius is standing off to the side, watching me practice. It bothers me a little that he got so close to me without me noticing, but I'm more concerned with his words.

"What do you mean I have better things to do? We need to be training!" I inform him. There is no better use of our time.

"I've already had enough training prior to the Games. Perhaps District Two just has weaker training programs." He states with a smug grin. I return with a glare. I don't like that he is implying that District 2 is weaker than his District. I don't like that he is implying that I'm weaker than him. "Nevertheless, I know the importance of training and I will go back to training. But there is something far more important to do first: observing."

"Observe what? The other tributes? They're all gonna die anyway." I roll my eyes, turning back to my steel pipe and the dummy I'm about to attack.

"Yes they are going to die, but you should study them to make sure they _will_ die." Celsius informs me.

"You thinking we won't be able to kill them?" I raise my eyebrow, studying my alliance member. He seemed more confident than that. _Disappointing._

"We will, but I'm doing this for your own benefit to make sure you don't die. Consider it a favor." He tells me, his smug grin returning. I scowl and open my mouth to retort but I'm interrupted by his voice. "Were you aware that the District Seven boy can throw a spear on par with my District partner and could probably be on even level with us?"

Immediately my eyes wander in the direction of the spear station. The District 7 boy isn't there. I start scanning the room for him but I can't find him. _Weird. If he was as strong as Celsius says he is, I'm sure he would stand out more…_

"He can't be that good." I dismiss his words.

"Oh you'd be surprised. You would probably be surprised to see what some of the other tributes can do and what they are not showing us. I have a feeling this will be an interesting Games to say the very least. Fun too if you have properly prepared for it. Otherwise you may not even survive past the bloodbath." He tells me.

"Are you insinuating something?" I turn to him and give him a glare. I really don't like that he is hinting at my death. _Who does he think he is?_ I am Cannon Estate! I won't be dying in the Games, let alone the bloodbath!

"Am I? Are you not well prepared Cannon?" He asks back, his smug grin growing even larger. "Perhaps you should work on that. Otherwise 'the odds may not be in your favor.'"

_Why can't any of these tributes give any respect?_ I don't remember any time where I've had this much uncivil conversation with people. Everyone I have met is respectful to my family, recognizing our power and influence. Here, no one seems to notice or care. Do they not see that I am an Estate? I'm getting extremely irritated at this lack of respect. It is an insult to me and my family. I don't tolerate insults against my family. This disrespect will not last!

Without thinking, I move up to Celsius and grab his jacket. I clench on to it tightly, giving him a glare. He remains as smug as before, which causes my glare to intensify.

"What do you consider not well prepared? Cause I think I have enough preparation to bash your skull in right now." I tell him, not bothering to hide the coldness in my voice.

I'm about to let go in case if any peacekeepers are watching but Celsius prevents me from doing anything. He smacks my hand away from his jacket and brings his hands to my neck.

"I guess you are not well prepared, for if these were the Games, you'd be dead. Not a good start to your Games, am I right?" He taunts me. It seems as if his grin is plastered on his face. It's starting to make me sick.

He lets go the second peacekeepers start walking towards us. He then proceeds to walk away to another station. I continue to watch him walk away.

"Cannon, get some more preparation. Study the other tributes or learn survival. Anything but your stupid steel pipe. I don't want you slowing down myself and the other Careers." Celsius tells me before he leaves my vision.

_Me? Slow down the Careers? _

I can feel myself growing angrier. I tighten the grip on my steel pipe before I toss it at one of the dummies. The dummy breaks apart the very second it makes contact with it.

"No, I'm not slowing down the Careers. I'm the winner for the Careers. I'll make sure you remember that Celsius." I mumble to myself while gritting my teeth. It might be a good idea to follow some of Celsius's advice and study the other tributes, but I need to get out any anger I have right now. _I'll show him_. I'll show him that I'm no extra baggage_._ He'll see that I'm the true winner in no time!

* * *

><p><strong>Benedict Letat's POV – District 3<strong>

I watch the instructor raise her sword as she attempts to strike me. Amateur. I'm able to easily avoid her attack and strike at her with one of my swords. She gets flustered by my attack and I take the opportunity to close the distance between us and raise my second sword to her neck.

"You lose. I win." I inform her. I feel the urge to tell her 'again' but I don't say the word. That would be rather disrespectful considering she is a Capitol citizen and that she is helping me and other tributes prepare for the Hunger Games.

"I don't know why you keep sparring with me." She sighs, taking off the practice uniform she was wearing. She then puts down her sword before she starts to speak again. "You've already beaten me many times and you have talent with swords that I haven't seen in any tribute before you. You don't need any more practice!"

"I happen to enjoy practicing with you and I wish to get more practice in. Thank you for your praise though!" I tell her respectfully. I appreciate her praise but don't deny her words. She's right about my skill. My father desired for me to train with swords when he trained me back in District 3. I spent most of my days practicing with swords back then. I've gotten to the point where I can use two swords at the same time with ease. So no, I will not deny any of the instructor's praise for me.

I take off my practice uniform as well before I continue my training. I walk over to one of the dummies and proceed to cut at it in different ways. My mind starts drifting off to the Games as I watch the dummy fall apart in various pieces.

_First things first: kill the threats._ We are having our private gamemaker sessions tomorrow and I'll be paying close attention to what the other tributes get. Anyone that is not a Career that gets an eight or above will die. I'll make sure to take them out quickly. I'll also be watching the scores of the other Careers. Whoever gets the highest score will be on my radar. That one would be the first I'd attack at the Career breakup…

_Now what about my score?_ The thought occurs to me that maybe I should try and score a little lower than what I probably deserve, but I probably can't do that. Not when I'm not from one of the Career Districts. The other Careers could use that as an excuse to kick me out. I probably shouldn't try to hide my skill too much. I'll let the other Careers know that I am better than them. I'll let everyone see how good I am. The sponsors will certainly know who to back when they see my score…

With the thought of sponsors in my head, my mind drifts to the interview. _How should I appeal to them?_ I need to make sure they enjoy me. The Capitol needs to be entertained and I'm going to need more sponsors than just ones coming from my score. Surely though I can earn enough support for me. I'm the only tribute that seems to appreciate the Hunger Games and the Capitol. I'll make that even more evident in my interviews. _They will see just how loyal I am to the Capitol…_

I can't help but grin. Thinking so in detail on the Games has that effect on me. I've got preparation for the Games and I have my angle decided. The Districts may hate me but why would they matter? Their rebelliousness is the reason the Games exist, so why should I try to make them like or sympathize with me? They aren't even the source of most sponsor gifts anyway. No, I won't try and earn their support. They'll hate me. If they don't after the interview, they'll hate me when I kill their tributes. It's only fitting that I kill them all, since I don't consider myself a District tribute. Sure I'm labeled as the District 3 male tribute, but I'm not. I was raised better. My parents showed me the truth. I am the Hunger Games's first 'Capitol' tribute, and I'll make sure that everyone knows that. The Capitol always comes out on top as well so it's even more fitting.

My thoughts on the Games are interrupted though as I start to notice something. My eyes focus on the knot station and on the tributes there. The District 4 guy, Kai, is there along with the two tributes from District 8. My eyes narrow. Audrina had talked to him on the first day about being in the Careers and she claimed he was in. Aqua confirmed this as well. He is supposed to be aligned with us. So why is he busy associating himself with other tributes?

"You wouldn't happen to be leaving the Careers, would you Kai? Or were you trying to play us and pretend you were on our side?" I mumble to myself as if he was listening to me. I start glaring in his general direction. "No matter which one you may be doing, they are both not good ideas. Not good ideas at all. I can make sure that you'll regret either decision if you don't join up with us…"

* * *

><p><strong>Kai Seagray's POV – District 4<strong>

"Gosh, how do you guys make such good knots and traps? Mine suck!" Faith complained to me and Corbin after she screwed up a knot in her most recent trap.

"Well you are the one who wanted to come here and improve your traps." I remind her with a small chuckle. "Just keep working with them and they'll get better."

Faith mentioned that she felt like she should work on traps to help catch food in the arena. I joined her because I was admittedly curious in the traps and knots the Capitol had to show us. When I saw the instructor make them, I realized that the knots shown here are not nearly as good as the ones I use in my fishing nets back home. Still, Faith wants to learn how to make some really basic ones. She just seems to have problems with them though.

"Perhaps you should just focus on knives? That might be better for hunting. Kai and I can handle the traps if they're needed." Corbin informs her. While he seems to have the least skill with weapons, he happens to have some skill with traps, knots, and things of the sort. I have no doubt we could leave traps to the two of us, or even just him, and we'd be fine.

"Oh be quiet nature boy! I'm going to have to learn how to do this as well so I'm staying here until I figure this stuff out!" Faith huffs at him, going back to her trap.

Leave it to Faith to be stubborn about this. I may have just met her, but I have learned a couple things about her and one of the things I learned is her stubbornness and her determination. She seems to have set her mind on learning traps and she won't be leaving until she gets it down perfectly. I can respect that. That's part of the reason that convinced me to join up with her and Corbin. That's also how I approach things as well!

"So we'll be here forever. Got it." I tell her. I may agree with her determination, but I'm probably going to give her a hard time for sucking at knots.

"You can shut up too Kai!" She fires at me as well, which causes me to laugh. "If I'm wasting your time, you guys can go to another station and learn something else."

I'm about to respond to her in a similar snarky fashion but I start feeling something again. Someone is staring at me. I could feel it a few minutes ago but I just shrugged it off. Right now, the stare feels extremely intense and icy. I can't ignore it now. I turn my head and see that Benedict, the District 3 boy, is staring at me.

"…I might go off then I guess. I could use some more time with a spear." I tell the group.

"That's fine I guess. I'll just stay here though with Faith to maybe see if I can help with traps." Corbin tells me as Faith rolls her eyes at needing help. "Just come meet up with us in a little bit then."

"Yeah. Sure thing." I tell them as I start walking off from the knot station. My partners wave back to me but I don't return it. Not when I'm being watched by Benedict. I don't want to draw any more attention from him.

Apparently I drew too much attention already though, as he starts to walk towards me. I groan inwardly. I guess I won't be able to get to training fast enough to ignore him. I stop and turn to him.

"What's up?" I ask him.

"Not much." Benedict responds as he takes a second to study me before speaking again. "I'll just cut to the chase now, since we are both probably really busy today."

"What's so important that you want to talk about?" I ask him. He seems to narrow his eyes at me. I probably spoke to him with a disrespectful tone or something stupid like that. I don't really care but he obviously does.

"Are you in the Careers?" He asks.

"Yes." I tell him. Truthfully, I'm not. To the other Careers, though, I am. If they think I'm on their side, that'll get me time to get supplies and weapons without having to worry about dying early.

"That's what I had been told. We've never had a chance to talk about it, so I wasn't certain. So I'm sure that since you are, you could easily explain to me why you are spending so much time with the District Eight tributes then." He states, his words getting as cold as his eyes.

"And is there something wrong with that? Doesn't mean I'm gonna be with them in the arena." I reply rather hostilely. Perhaps too hostile as Benedict's already narrowed eyes get even narrower.

"It doesn't but I can't help but get suspicious. Just something about me. So then you won't care if I personally kill them in the bloodbath then, correct?" Benedict asks.

I can feel myself curse in my head and I can feel some anger enter my body. I had worried about pretending to be on the Career's side would be risky for me but I never thought it could be risky for my true alliance partners. There's a reason I chose to align with Corbin and Faith over the Careers. I happen to really like them and relate to them. They've become friends to me and if I were to die, I would want one of them to make it home. I don't want to have to see them die, especially not that early and especially not by this guy!

"You won't be killing them Benedict." I inform him bluntly and hostilely. My anger speaks before my reason can. When I realize what I had said, it's too late.

"Any particular reason why? If you aren't aligned with them, then you shouldn't care if they die. They'll have to die in order for you to come home anyway." Benedict tells me.

My anger starts getting worse but I now try to make an effort to control it before I say something I will truly regret. I have to speak carefully if I want to get him to not target my partners. I try and calm myself when an idea comes into my head to reverse what I said.

"You won't kill them because I will." I tell him, trying to pick my words carefully. "I've been getting to know them in order to learn more about their strengths. I feel like there is more to them then they are letting us know and by getting to know them, I now know what to expect. I feel like I can effectively kill them now."

"Oh really?" He asks me, raising an eyebrow. I nod in response.

_Really?_ Nope. I'm planning on the three of us surviving the bloodbath and teaming up in the arena until the final eight or something. To Benedict though, I'm telling the truth. Perhaps if he thinks that I am he won't target my partners. That's what I have to hope for now.

"If that was your plan, wouldn't it make more sense to learn about the District Seven boy instead? He actually seems pretty tough and he's always at the spear station you are at." Benedict informs me.

"I don't think he's too much of a threat." I tell him. A complete lie, but I'm not going to admit to that. Not when I'm trying to give logic behind my relationship with Corbin and Faith.

"Really? Interesting." He shrugs. "I guess I'll take your word for it then. I'll trust you will remove these threats from Eight early then."

"I will. You can trust me." I reply.

Benedict walks away, apparently pleased with our conversation. I think he is at least. I can't get much of a read from him. He's not someone I enjoy talking to. He's very cold, calculating, and analytical. He's more dangerous than any of the other Careers. I hope my answer pleased him: not just for my sake, but for Corbin and Faith's sake as well.

_That was too close._ I have to watch my relationship with Corbin and Faith before the arena. I can't make it seem too suspicious. If we are all to survive the bloodbath, I need to make it seem like I'm still part of the Careers. I need to make all of the Careers believe that I don't really have a friendship with both of them.

I fight the urge to look back at my friends as I keep walking to the spear station. I just need to get back to my training. I need to get back to the 'Career' agenda…

* * *

><p><strong>Lenora Lemings's POV – District 3<strong>

I had a plan throughout all three training days on how to use all of the time I had to the fullest potential. On the first day, I devoted every second to stations on survival training. During the second day, I spent all of my time working on improving my skills with weapons. Today, I have decided to evenly divide up my time among both survival and weapon stations. I had no experience on how to survive in the wilderness prior to this and only a little experience with knives. I've been trying to spend all of my time appropriately so that I walk out with a good, even amount of experience in both fields in order to survive in the arena.

I've spent all of my time in the morning today working on my survival skills. I had just finished relearning about proper camouflage when I noticed the time. It was time to head over to weapons training. I start to get up and leave the station.

I proceed to walk to the knife station. As I'm walking, I don't pay too much attention to the people around me working or heading to other stations. I start noticing the people around only when somebody runs into me.

"Ouch!" The person, a little girl, winces in pain. She falls to the ground after she ran into me.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" I ask her, holding out my hand for her to grab.

The girl says nothing as she stares at me for a second. I look into her wide brown eyes and her body, running her appearance through my head. I realize that she is the District 6 girl, Sermina I think her name is.

"…um…I'm okay…" She finally responds, getting up on her own without taking my hand.

As soon as she gets up, she's off running again. She's pretty fast! She also seems to have a lot of energy in her. Her energy seems like a contrast to the little girl who seemed timid, quiet, and scared when we talked. I sympathize, since I'm not the best with talking to people as well, but she seems to have an even harder time being around people. I wonder if she has any reason for being so afraid of talking to people.

I soon stop thinking about the District 6 girl as I start walking to the knife station. Thoughts on her come back though quickly as I realize I'm walking down the same path she went. When I realize this, it doesn't surprise me when I see that she is at the knife station. She seems to be trying to toss throwing knives effectively. Her efforts don't seem to be working. I don't really know why I feel like talking to her, but I feel like I should try and help her out, even if only a little.

"Need any help?" I ask her when I get over to the station.

My voice seems to shock her, as she turns to me a tad flustered and surprised. She gives me a look for awhile before she finally gives a small nod.

"Well I'm not too good myself." I admit with a sigh. "But I can teach you what I learned."

I show her a couple of basic tosses and maneuvers that I learned, mentioning any advice I was given on knives. She listens attentively to my words and actually starts taking notes on what I'm saying. When it comes to throw them, she tries to emulate exactly what I told her. She still has a little difficulty tossing them but seems to have improved from earlier.

"You seem to be getting better! Just keep practicing like that and I'm sure you will continue to improve!" I tell her with a smile.

"Thank you…" She mumbles in response.

"I'm Lenora by the way. Just ask me if you need any more help!" I let her know.

"Thank you Lenora…and…I'm Sermina." She replies. _So I was right about her name._

I take a few more seconds to watch her practice. I realize that she can come off a little awkward and I wonder if anyone has tried to approach her with an alliance. I don't think so. Most people would probably avoid a little girl who seems socially awkward. I see past that awkwardness, since I too have a problem talking with most people. I can see that she has a lot of energy and I can tell she's very bright. Just looking into her eyes and watching them analyze something can show you just how smart she is. I'd be willing to bet that she could be the smartest of all the tributes here. A thought occurs to me and I feel like I should ask her about it.

"…hey Sermina. Would you like to team up in the arena?" I ask her. I've decided that Sermina would make a good alliance partner. The intelligence and energy she seems to give off makes me think that. Above that though, I think she needs somebody in the arena. She reminds me a little of myself and I would want to give her more of a chance in the arena.

Sermina stops her practice and turns to me, confused. She continues to study me with her wide brown eyes like she did when I first met her. It takes her a few seconds before she finally responds.

"Sure…" She responds before going back to her practice.

With a smile, I get back to my own practice with knives. That makes one ally I have. Two actually if Lily and I ever get the chance to work together in the arena. I keep practicing, still feeling good about having someone to work with, someone who actually reminds me of myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Roshan Alicia Davis's POV – District 12<strong>

The day's almost over and I feel as if I've made progress with my training. I've improved my skill with knives exponentially and I feel like I am ready for whatever the Games will have in store for me. I also have been able to learn more techniques on survival from the survival stations here. I've developed a couple of ideas on how the Games will work and I feel like I'll be able to survive in the arena.

I start leaving the practice station on knives and start walking off to another survival station. I stop when I walk past a station on darts and see the tributes there. I see the District 7 boy with the District 11 girl.

I stop and watch as the girl tries to hit targets with her darts. I haven't seen her since she tried to use knives on the first day. I tried looking for her after but I couldn't find her. Now here she is with the District 7 boy. My eyes narrow on him. I don't know why, but I can feel myself grow suspicious of him. I don't trust him. I don't trust many people but I don't trust him in particular right now. Why would he be spending time with the little girl? Is he trying to get her to trust him only to kill her off in the arena?

Another thought occurs to me: why do I care? Why do I care if he works with and betrays the girl from 11? I barely know her, so she shouldn't mean anything to me. Deep down, I know the answer to my question. She looks and reminds me of my two sisters Jamie and Rochelle. She's about their age and has the same type of ponytail that my two sisters have. I know this girl is not either of my sisters, but I can't help but associate her with them. I don't want to see her die because of that.

My eyes turn to the dartboard. I see that the little girl just hit the center of the target. I can see the excitement on her face.

"See Jay? You're getting better. You just needed practice." The boy from District 7 tells the girl, who I guess is named Jay. He seems to have a smile on her face.

"I am. I actually am getting better!" Jay repeats the phrase multiple times. Her excitement seems almost foreign to how she has seemed at any time before now. It suits her.

"You are. I have a feeling you'll be able to get home to your family if you keep improving your skills like that!" He tells her.

"I hope…" She mumbles a little nervously. She looks around a little bit before she turns back to him. "I think I'm going to head to the poison station and learn a little more about how to make it. If I can get better there, I might give us a better chance in the arena! Is that okay Brock?"

_Poison?_ I never saw that station before. I guess it exists. I also guess the District 7 boy is named Brock.

"That's fine. I might go get some training, so come meet me at the spear station when you are done." He tells her.

"Okay, will do. See you in a little bit Brock!" Jay tells him before she runs off in some direction, to the station on poisons I guess.

When she's out of sight, Brock starts to move. I originally assumed he is heading to the spear station but I realize that he isn't. He's walking towards me. I wonder is he saw that I was listening in on their conversation.

"You seem to be interested in us. Any reason why?" He asks me. I wonder if he is suspicious of me. It would make sense I guess.

"Just making sure you aren't going to screw over that girl you're working with." I respond, my eyes narrowing on him.

"Hmm? Really?" He asks. I nod in response. He studies me for a second or so before he responds, a smile now on his face. "I wouldn't think of it. She reminds me of my sisters. I'm making sure she has a chance in the arena."

"Sisters?" I ask him. She reminds him of his sisters? Does Jay have that effect on someone else as well?

"Yes. I didn't want to see her as scared as she was in the first two days, so I offered her my help and partnership. I'm going to make sure to give her a fighting chance." Brock tells me, his eyes moving back in the direction Jay ran off in.

"…oh." I finally respond after registering what he said. Is that really what he is trying to do? Is he really aligning with her only to help her? For some reason, I can't buy it. I want to. He seems like a good enough person, but I can't buy it. How could someone feel like that when they are about to enter the Games.

"Everyone deserves that much at least." He replies.

Silence falls over us. He stares at me for a little while, making me a feel a tad uncomfortable. I can't tell if what he is saying is true or not. I want to believe him, but I don't know if I can.

"…you seem to care about Jay as well. Would you be interested in joining us then?" Brock asks me.

His request takes me aback a little bit. That wasn't what I was expecting him to ask. I don't even know what I thought he would say to me when he talked, but it wasn't that. But now I have to think: do I even want to work with them? Can I trust him? Can I even trust her?

"…I have to think about it…" I tell him.

"Think about it for as long as you need. Just remember that the Games are coming up soon." He tells me.

With those words, Brock starts walking away, leaving me alone to my thoughts. Do I really want to work with them? I want to be able to believe what he is saying and work with them, but can I really trust them. I don't want to be betrayed. What if he just getting us on his side only to kill us as we drop our guard down? A part of me counters this logic with Brock's words and his helping of Jay but another part reaffirms my ideas by saying how you can't trust anybody in the Games.

I keep moving, heading in the direction of the survival stations I intended to go to. Brock is right. The Games are coming up soon. I have to think about my decision before the Games start. Before the Games start, I'll have made my decision. I just hope that whichever one I make is the right decision. I need to make sure that I am able to return home to my family. That's the most important thing to me and that's what I should base my decision on…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I had hoped to get in this chapter a little earlier than now but my schedule got a tad hectic! Sorry everybody :/ But here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! :)

The next chapter is the gamemaker presentations. Any predictions on the scores? :)

Also did anyone here see the movie? I did and I'm curious on what everyone else thought of it. Personally, I loved it and enjoyed most of the extra details they added! I'd reveal more but I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't seen it yet :P

Anyway, I'll be updating as soon as possible! I hope you guys enjoyed! Remember to review and give me any feedback or criticism! It's always appreciated :) Until then!


	11. Showing your Talents: Gamemaker Sessions

**Audrina Prescott's POV – District 1**

I watch the clock in the waiting room tick. I watch, getting more impatient every second. All the other Careers are discussing what they plan on doing in their gamemaker sessions but I can't focus on them. My mind is focused only on MY presentation. I'm getting irritated just waiting for it.

Another reason to be grateful that I'm not from a crap District like District 12. I don't think I could stand to wait that long. I'm already irritated and I'm the second person to present!

"Celsius Potens!" A peacekeeper announces to everyone.

_It's about damn time! Finally!_ The gamemaker sessions are beginning. Soon, it'll be my time to present!

I turn around to face the other Careers. I watch Celsius grin as he stands up. He starts walking towards the training room, ready to perform for all the gamemakers.

"Good luck Sexy Boy!" Benedict hollers to him as he's about to enter the room.

I see the visible irritation and scowl develop on Celsius's face before he enters the room. I can't stop laughing. Oh God I love Benedict and all of the comments he makes about Celsius. Honestly, it was the best decision we Careers made to include him in the group. Benedict provides the comedic effect we need. I love watching my partner get all flustered and pissed off. His comments also distract Celsius a lot, which I could use to my advantage in the arena. I'm sure the 'sexy boy' will be much easier to kill if we get his mind off track.

After Celsius is out of sight and in the room, we are all back to waiting. The wait now seems even longer. It doesn't help me knowing that I am next. I can feel myself getting more and more angry as I wait. I decide it might be a good idea to release some of the anger, so I turn in the direction of the other Careers.

"Remember: you all need to get an eight or able to stay in." I tell them harshly. It was an agreement we all made it. I feel like I should remind them all. We don't want anyone holding the rest of us back.

"An eight? Oh my gosh, that's going to be _so difficult_ to get! After all the countless training we had prior to the reaping and all of the training we've done here, it's going to be _impossible_ to get an eight!" Inara replies with an eye roll. I proceed to glare at her. I normally appreciate her sarcasm, but I don't right now. Not when it is directed at me.

"Your concern is appreciated but it might be more important to worry about yourself." Benedict replies. My glare moves to his direction. He should really stick to comments about Celsius being sexy.

"I was just telling you guys again!" I state with my own eye roll. I then turn to face Kai. "Remember though: get an eight or greater!"

Kai shrugs it off, not even giving me a look. He's been rather distant from all of the Careers ever since he joined. He's spending most of his time with either the District 8 tributes or by himself. I don't really care if he spends time with us or not, he just better not slow us down in the arena. That foot of his better not be a problem. He has skill with the spear, just like me, but he needs to have enough to make up for that leg of his.

I'm about to make another comment to him and remind him of the importance of getting a seven or better when a peacekeeper interrupts me.

"Audrina Prescott!" He states.

I forget about any comments I was about to make about Kai and the other Careers. My mind is focused solely on my presentation now. _Finally! _

I don't waste a second. I get up from my seat, ignore whatever comments the other Careers have for me, and rush over to the training center's door. I walk in, ready to present my skills to the gamemakers. _I'm ready for this!_

The room is exactly the same it was when we left the training center yesterday. The only difference is the gamemakers, all sitting at a table, each of them holding pen and paper as they write down notes and scores. Some of them are eating and drinking while they watch the tributes perform. They all stare at me as I walk into the room. It's only the second presentation, so they aren't bored just yet. They'll be paying close attention to me and what I'll do for them. After my performance, they will be thoroughly entertained. I'll make sure of that at least!

"Audrina Prescott?" One of the gamemakers, a man with long black hair and gold eyes, asks me my name. I nod in response. "You may begin your presentation."

"With pleasure!" I can feel the smirk growing on my face. I immediately walk over and pick up a spear. I intend on giving them a show they won't be forgetting soon. It's finally time to show of all the skills I've learned and I intend for them to remember everything that I know!

* * *

><p><strong>Aqua West's POV – District 4<strong>

"Aqua West!"

I blink for a second. All of the other Careers were complaining about how long the wait was for them to get called. I didn't think the wait was that long. It feels like it happened rather fast, and I'm perfectly fine with that!

I get up from my seat and walk in the direction of the training room. My mind is focused on thoughts on my presentation. _How will I try and get myself a good score?_ I don't really feel like the scores during the gamemaker presentations mean much: I've seen tributes with pretty low scores win the Games and I've seen tributes with the highest scores lose frequently. I don't really see the point of trying to get a ridiculously high score: just high enough to stay in the Careers and earn a couple of sponsors.

_Although it would be pretty awesome to get a higher score than Beck. That would irritate him a little._ I laugh a little at the image of Beck getting frustrated at the girl he trained getting a better score than him. He earned an eight when he was a tribute, so I think it would be possible for me to do better than him. I guess that could be a reason to try and get a higher score: just to see how he would react to me doing better than him.

I push my thoughts and laughter out though when I come face to face with the gamemakers. This is no time for jokes. It's time to be serious. I can do this. I can impress them.

"Aqua West correct? You may begin." One of the gamemakers told me.

"Thank you!" I respond with a smile before I start walking towards the knife station.

I bring over a set of knives over to the gamemakers. They already have targets and a couple of dummies set up nearby their table. I stand a good distance away from the targets. I pick up my first knife and throw it at one of the targets. The knife makes direct contact with the center of the target: bullseye. I see one of the gamemakers start taking notes.

I throw a couple of more knives at targets, making more bullseyes. An idea comes to my head: perhaps my display is a little boring. I'm sure I'm not the first tribute in all of the Hunger Games to make bullseye with their throwing knives. I need to spice up my presentation a little: to show them how much I've trained with throwing knives.

I pick up two knives and toss them both at a dummy at the same time. The first knife makes direct contact with the head of the dummy, where the brain would be. The second one hits the dummy right where its heart would be. Either hit would have killed a tribute if that was them.

I continue to throw multiple knives at the same time at the various targets and dummies in the room. Each time, I always hit bullseye or hit a dummy in a place where it would have been fatal for a tribute. I conclude my presentation by tossing three knives at the same time. All three knives hit bullseye on the targets they were thrown at.

For the first since I started, I look over to the gamemakers. A couple of them are writing detailed notes on my performance. Others are gaping at me and what I had done. Some are just staring back and forth between me and the various targets and dummies I had bombarded with knives. One of the gamemakers, a man with long black hair and golden eyes, just stares at me. He has a large grin on his face. He obviously seems pleased with my performance.

"Thank you very much Aqua. You may leave if you are done." He informs me.

"Will do. Thank you for your time!" I tell the gamemakers before I start walking out.

That went over really well. I know I originally didn't want to try and earn a high score, but I feel like I might have earned one. I feel very good about my performance and I feel confident that the gamemakers enjoyed it. This will only help make me more confident for when the Games start…

* * *

><p><strong>Topovska Hrana's POV – District 6<strong>

I can't help but get nervous as I watch each tribute walk into the game sessions. We all are I bet! I've been watching the other tributes walk forward from the other Districts. The last one I saw walk forward was the girl from District 4. District 5 is next. After them, it'll be my turn.

"Adam Assange!" A peacekeeper calls out.

The timid boy from District 5 gets up from his spot and walks over to the training center. One more person going in. Only one more to go until it's my turn. My nerves are at an all time high now.

The only thing keeping me slightly at ease is my alliance members. Iago organized us all together and had us sit next to each other while we wait for our sessions. He wanted to talk to us about the gamemaker sessions before we go into them. I took this time to study who he brought into the alliance and I have to say that I am impressed. I don't disagree with any of the choices he made. I believe that we have a strong, collective group that would be able to do some serious damage in the arena.

We've all been mostly quiet during the waiting. Only a few remarks made. After the girl from District 4 goes into her session, though, Iago starts to speak to us. I think he was purposely waiting for all the Careers to head out before telling us whatever he had to say.

"Alright, I had some advice I mentioned to you all. I wanted to give it to you all right before the gamemaker sessions, since I want you all to follow it." Iago informs us. "I want each and every one of you to get either a five or a six for your scores. Try to reach that level but don't go above it."

"Shouldn't we be trying to get the highest scores possible in order to get sponsors?" Nelson asks. Ellie nods her head in agreement. I see where they're coming from with that, but I think I know Iago's logic.

"I'm not too worried about sponsors. We can earn them through just surviving in the arena." Iago states confidently as he rubs his hand through his hair. "But the training scores do more than just get sponsors: they put a target on your back. Get to a certain level and I'm certain the Careers will be after us. Get too low and they may come for us in order to get rid of the weak. You want a score that blends in with the other tributes. If we all get average scores, the Careers have no reason to target us whether they go for the weakest or strongest tributes. That way, we can all survive the bloodbath and be able to survive in the arena."

Just as I thought when he said his plan. Iago's logic is sound. I've seen a couple of Hunger Games and the Careers usually target stronger tributes. They want to get competition out of the way early in order to make the Games easier for them in the end. Also, during the Games Poklon was in, the Careers tried to attack weaker tributes in order to get as many kills as they could in the Games. The Career logic is either one of the two. His plan to get average scores in blend in with the other tributes makes perfect sense. Through this, we won't have big targets placed on our back.

"Do you have any other plans for the arena?" I ask him, curious. I would like to know what other plans he has thought of.

"I haven't gotten too much thought up yet. I'm saving most thinking for the arena, since I have no idea on what the arena is going to be, the weapons that will be in the arena, nor what possible gamemaker traps could be out there." Iago sighs. "What I have right now is for us to blend in with the other tributes and get out of the bloodbath with as much of supplies as possible. We all will meet somewhere at a safe distance from the cornucopia and work from there."

"Sounds reasonable to me." Aki notes.

It does. We really have no clues what the arena is going to be. I do know that forest arenas are rather common, so I have already thought of some basic plans on how to perform in one of them. I've also run a couple of hypothetical situations with various arena ideas in my head, so maybe I will be able to assist Iago in coming up with plans when we see what type of arena we are going to face.

"Topovska Hrana!" A peacekeeper speaks, interrupting my thoughts.

Me? It's my turn already? I could have sworn the boy from District 5 just went in. And I didn't even hear the girl from 5 get called. I look around though and I don't see the little girl from District 5 anywhere. It has to be my turn now.

"Good luck Topovska!" Ellie informs me, giving me a thumbs up as I stand up.

"You seem stressed. Relax Topovi." Nelson adds with a laugh. I actually laugh as well. I find it funny that he calls me the same nickname my father called me.

"Good luck. Remember Topovska: get a five or six." Iago reminds me.

"Got it. Thanks. See you guys later!" I wave goodbye to my allies as I walk over to the door to the training room.

When I walk in, I see the peacekeepers are all staring at me. They seem a little bored. I wonder if the District 5 tributes bored them a little. Probably: they are just little kids after all! That actually is better for me if I am to follow Iago's advice. If they are bored, perhaps they will not pay as much attention to my presentation and just give me an average score.

"Topovska correct? Please begin your presentation." One of the gamemakers tells me with a yawn.

Begin I shall. I walk over and pick up a bow. I load an arrow in it and aim at a target. I make a conscious effort to aim a little to the left of the center. I'm not trying to impress them: I'm trying to seem average. I won't even attempt to hit the center today. I release my arrow. It hits exactly where I planned: a few inches left of the center. Some of the gamemakers seem to get a little bored at my display. I start to smile a little. _Now, just fire a couple of more shots like that and you'll receive the score for all of our plans…_

* * *

><p><strong>Akira "Aki" Himura's POV – District 7<strong>

"Akira Himura!" A peacekeeper reads off my name.

It feels like the sessions are going by faster than it should. I feel as if it was just a few minutes ago when Topovska's name was called. Now it's my turn. I get up from my seat by my allies and start walking towards the training room, where the gamemakers are waiting for me.

"Good luck Aki!" Ellie calls out to me.

"Remember what I told you Aki! Good luck!" Iago tells me.

I wave back to them, giving them a smile before I head inside. Iago's advice is still in my head and I intend on following it. I don't want to have an early target placed on my head by the Careers, so it really is for the best if we all try and just get average scores. Perhaps it may hurt our chances with sponsors, but I feel that there is no point of having sponsors if you don't survive long enough to benefit from them. That's why I'm more focused on finding ways for me and my alliance to survive the bloodbath.

The gamemakers seem preoccupied when I walk in. They've already done over half of the tributes, so they are probably not excited to do more. They don't have to worry about my session though. It won't be too long.

"Akira Himura, please begin your performance." The gamemaker at the center of the table tells me.

I bow in response to his request before I fall into a fighting stance. I can feel the gamemakers' eyes on me. I think they might be interested in what I'm doing. Am I the only one who is showing them martial arts? Unfortunately for them, I won't be showing them everything I have learned and perfected. I'll only show enough to get by with an average score.

I start going through basic forms of Omei-Wushu Kung Fu in front of them. Unlike when I normally practice, I let my mind wander. This will make my moves seem less graceful and more likely to receive a lower score. I don't exactly think of anything in particular: I just let my mind wander from various random thoughts.

I perform a thrust with my right arm when I can feel my eyes start to wander as well. They move across the gamemakers and the table they are at. They, like my mind, don't stay focused on one specific thing. They just move from object to object.

They only stop when they get to the gamemaker on the far left: an old man who is currently drinking some form of alcohol.

My mind stops wandering from thought to thought. It only remains on one central thought now: mother.

It's been years since she has passed away. I've tried my best to forget about her but the smallest of things always remind me of her. Looking in a mirror and seeing the scar on my left cheek, the scar she gave me, reminds me of her. Seeing any alcohol or an alcoholic reminds me of her. No matter what I do, I can't escape her. Even after death, she is always there. She's always watching me, ridiculing everything I attempt to do. She's always trying to find some way to hurt me. She's always trying to abuse me…

I don't believe I had ever seen her sober. Every memory of her involves her being drunk. I wish I could remember her when she was sober. Maybe it would be less painful to think of her that way…less scary…

My mind becomes completely focused on memories of my mother. My mind is playing all sorts of events of her, drinking and laughing as she verbally and physically abuses me. I can almost feel tears about to come out of my eyes but I fight them. Despite my thoughts, I know where I am. I can't cry in front of the gamemakers. I refuse for them to see me cry.

I decide it will be best if I end my performance right now. My mind is now getting too out of focus. I stop my performance with a strong thrust in the air. I then drop my stance and position. I face the gamemakers and give them a bow.

"I hope you enjoyed." I tell them before I walk out of the room.

As I walk out of the room, it almost feels like my mother is walking out with me. She's following me in some drunken daze, making sarcastic comments about my 'pitiful' performance and my chances. But would she be wrong though? Was I really trying to screw up to get a low score? Do I even stand a chance in the arena?

"_You won't last a day out there, kid. Just give up."_ I hear what I imagine she would say right now.

_No! You're wrong!_ I try my best to push her out of my mind. I won't let her abuse me any longer. Her memory will no longer haunt me. I have to make sure of that. I won't let her damage my life any more. I will remain strong. I will win the Games!

* * *

><p><strong>Robert "Big Bob" Zorn's POV – District 10<strong>

"Robert Zorn!" A peacekeeper announces. I immediately scowl.

"Meh name is Big Bob!" I growl in response.

With a sigh, I get up from my seat and start walking over to where the peacekeeper is. I was told we were doing something for the gamemakers today I think. I don't really know, but I know everyone got up and left when their name was called and they called my name (correction: _fake_ name) so I should probably go as well. I don't really know. Nor do I care. I guess it'll be a good thing to leave the room though. I've been frickin bored and I want to do something!

When I walk into the room, I see a bunch of people sitting at some table. They are all staring at me when I walk in. I don't know why they are looking at me and I don't like it. I return their look with a glare.

"What ya lookin at? I got somethin on meh face?" I ask them angrily.

"N-No! Of course not!"One of the people, an old guy, stutters.

I don't know what to say to that. I was expecting them to say there was something on me. I guess not. So why are they staring at me then? I don't know. I don't care.

My eyes move from the people at the table to the table itself. I see a lot of notepads and pens and stuff. Over by some people, I see food. Some of them are eating right now. That sounds pretty good. I'm kind of hungry. I see one of them is eating chicken. _I like chicken…_

I also see someone drinking some beer. I had beer once. I got in a fight once with some random drunk guy. I beat the crap out of him and he dropped a beer bottle. I ended up taking it and drank the rest of it. It tasted good. It made me feel weird though. Not bad: just weird. I kind of liked the feeling. I'd like to feel it again actually. _Wonder if I can get some of da beer later…_

"Um…Robert? Are you not going to perform for us?" One of the guys, a younger one, asks me.

My eyes move away from the beer and towards him. I glare at him. Why does everybody call me Robert? _That not meh name. Why nobody realize that?_

"Meh name is Big Bob! And perform what?" I shout at him. I can see the guy gasp a little bit. _Wimp._

I'm angry now. That's twice I've been called Robert in the last ten minutes. I'm pissed now. I walk over to a wooden table in the center of the room. There's a lot of weapons sitting on the table. I don't really look to see what types though. I just lift my fist and pound it into the table. The table snaps apart, breaking. All the weapons fall to the ground with the pieces of the table.

"Is dat a good performance for ya?" I ask them with a growl.

The people all turn into to each other and start talking to each other. I don't know what they are saying but I don't like it. _They talkin bout me?_ I can feel myself getting even more angry. I immediately pick up one of the pieces of the broken table and chuck it at their table. It smashes into their table, causing the table to be pushed backwards. The action seems to shock most of the people sitting there. One of them on the edge actually falls out of his seat. _Ha! Loser!_

"Good enough for ya now, losers?" I ask them again.

A couple of the people seem to still be shocked. Others seem angry. They are glaring at me, probably mad that I might have damage their table or something. I return their glare with probably more anger.

"…that was a good enough performance." One of them, the one in the center says to me. He seems to be glaring at me with his bright yellowish eyes. "You can leave now Robert."

"Meh name ain't Robert!" I hiss at him.

"…right. Big Bob. You can leave now." He replies.

"Finally!" I yell back.

I start walking out of the room, handing towards a door in the room. That was a waste of time. Completely pointless. Why did we have to come in here? To give these stupid idiots a performance? _They don't deserve no stinkin performance. They idiots!_

I keep walking, feeling more pissed off than I was before I entered the room. I'm in a bad mood now. I'll probably be in it for the rest of the day. _Thanks a lot idiots…_

* * *

><p><strong>Damien Todd's POV – District 12<strong>

The presentations go by really slowly. Each tribute feels like they are taking longer and longer with the gamemakers than the last one. I can feel myself getting more bored and anxious with every passing second. I'm sure the gamemakers are getting bored too. The Careers are really lucky, considering they get their sessions early. They get their sessions out of the way early and the gamemakers are going to be more interested. Late District tributes like myself are not as lucky. We're stuck waiting in anxiety as the gamemakers get less interested.

Luckily for me that I have something special planned to earn their attention. If everything goes as intended, the gamemakers won't be forgetting me for awhile.

A peacekeeper calls the name of the little girl from District 11. When she leaves the room, only Roshan and I remain. I'm next. _Finally!_

I'm still getting a little nervous as I keep waiting. I'm able to push out most of my nerves though as soon as they come with thoughts of my plans. _I'll be fine. I go this. I'll give them a show that makes them utterly sick!_ I laugh a little at the joke: perhaps the gamemakers will really get sick after I show them what I'm planning on doing.

I remain sitting down in my seat as calm as I can be until another peacekeeper comes walking in.

"Damien Todd!" He announces.

The nerves completely leave me. I can feel myself smirking. I _can get this over with finally!_ I get up from my seat and walk into the training room, ready for my presentation.

As I expected, the gamemakers don't notice me walking in. They're talking amongst each other about some random pointless topic. They don't care about me. Not yet at least. I just need to get their attention first.

I decide to take the time they aren't paying attention to set up my plan. I take out three mixes of poison I made yesterday for my gamemaker session. I then go over to get knives and grab three training dummies and place them around me. I make sure they are facing the gamemakers so they can see what I'm about to do.

I start noticing a pair of eyes on me. I look over to the gamemakers and I see one of them, a thirty-something year old man with long black hair that goes down to his back, is staring right at me. His bright gold eyes are fixated on me and my every move. I think he is the head gamemaker. He certainly hasn't ignored me. I'll make sure he gets a show.

The first part of my presentation involves cutting the practice dummies so that the fluff on the inside is completely visible. I immediately stab the dummies around me, cutting holes in them. The fluff starts becoming noticeable, some of it falling to the ground. The rest can now easily be seen throughout the dummies. I notice the chatter from the gamemakers stop when I started to cut the dummies. They all are all now watching me. I have their attention. They are probably wondering what I'm trying to do.

I pick up of another knife and dip it in the first of the poisons I designed. I then toss the knife at one of the dummies, striking some fluff in its arm. The poison drops on to it, painting the fluff purple. The poison then moves on to nearby pieces of fluff rapidly. Soon, all the white fluff in the dummy is painted purple.

"Commonly referred to as 'Rapid Spread,' this poison can spread throughout the body and show side effects nearly thirty minutes to an hour after exposure. Side effects include weakening of the muscles, nausea, and pain. Difficult to treat without medical aid." I recite the research I was given by the instructor at my station.

As if on cue, the arm of the dummy snaps off from its body. The poison apparently severed the fabric and anything else holding the dummy together. This is just what it would do a person's muscles if hit by this. I knew my poison was potent but it almost shocks me how effective it would be.

I notice the gamemakers getting wide-eyed at my work. Yep, I have their attention. Now, let's continue with my presentation. I take another knife and dip it into the second poison I created. I toss it over at the second dummy's fluff near its arm. It hits the same spot that it did on the first one, dripping the bright purple poison. The poison starts spreading rather slowly, but it makes its way up the dummy until the whole dummy is covered in the bright purple poison.

"This one is one of my favorites. I've actually given it the nickname 'Mind Tricks' since I didn't like it's technical term. Takes approximately six to eight hours to spread throughout the body and reach the brain. It's main side effect is hallucinations that can rival the ones produced by tracker jackers." I state the effects of this poison.

One of the gamemakers seems to choke on some drink he was drinking. I smirk. _Now, time for the grand finale…_

I take one last knife and dip it into the final poison. I toss it at the final dummy in the same position. The knife drips black colored poison onto the fluff, which spreads throughout the dummy. I can see the poison spread throughout the fluff on the dummy.

"My final poison. Difficult to produce but the most effective of them all. I'm sure you are all familiar with one called 'Black Death?'" I ask them the question.

That's all it took. A couple of the gamemakers start coughing in shock and disbelief. The one that chocked on his drink has completely spilled it. All of their eyes are on me, completely stunned. Only one dares to question me: the one who I believe is the head gamemaker.

"Do you seriously expect us to believe that a boy like you can create the Black Death? The most dangerous, deadly, and complex poison that Capitol science can produce?" He asks me, his eyes narrowed on me.

"You can believe what you want. But if you want a demonstration, I can implement the poison into your bloodstream if you'd like." I ask him, giving him a confident grin.

The gamemaker's eyes narrow on me. It looks as if he is about to say something but he is interrupted by another gamemaker.

"I…I believe him. I'm an expert in poisons myself, so I can see. I think he's telling the truth." He responds, stuttering a little.

Various chatter is started amongst the other gamemakers. The head gamemaker continues to stare at me for awhile before he sighs and sits down. The grin on my face remains as smug as it was before. With a small bow, I pick up the poisons I designed and walk out of the room. As I exit, I hear the dummy inflicted with my third poison fall to the ground in pieces. The poison broke it apart from the inside, just like the first poison did. The gamemakers get rattled up by this and start discussing something about the poison to each other. This only makes my grin get larger.

The best part about it? I never designed the Black Death. While I was able to create my other two poisons, I unfortunately couldn't produce the final poison with the supplies and information given to me at the poison station. My final poison's only side effects were weakening of the muscles and internal bleeding. Still, they believed I was able to produce it. Even a self-proclaimed expert on poisons thought I created the Black Death. They all fell for it. They fell for the most detailed joke I've ever created!

* * *

><p><strong>Ephidel Limstella's POV – Head Gamemaker (49th Hunger Games)<strong>

When the girl from District 12 finished, the sessions were over. It's been a rather long day, so I'm glad to be almost done with it. The longest part is over at least. Now all that's left to do is decide with the other gamemakers what scores the tributes deserve.

I look over to the other gamemakers around me. Some of them are currently reviewing notes that they had written during the sessions. The others seem like they are in deep thought, probably about the scores. _Good. It'll speed things up if they are this focused._

"Alright everybody, let's get this started." I state, getting the attention of all the gamemakers. "I'm sure you are all familiar with the rules and regulations behind this process. We'll go in order of the Districts and discuss each tribute's scores. One of us will mention what they think one of the tributes should get. If you have any disagreements, voice them then. Otherwise the tribute will receive that score. That's all understood right?"

All of the other gamemakers nod at my words. I can't help but grin. Just last year I was in their position: an obedient minor gamemaker. Now I'm the one who they have to listen to. I'm the one with the true final say in the decisions. _Boy, do I love this power…_

I take out a pen and notepad of my own and write down the names of all the tributes. I leave a space by each name, where I will write their training score. I then sit back and wait for one of the other gamemakers to start the debate.

"The boy from District One is talented. I feel he showed enough skill to justify a ten." The gamemaker sitting next to me, one of the senior members, tells everybody. A high score like that usually leads to some debate but I think we all know that the boy from District 1 is talented. He definitely showed enough to earn that skill. I wait a few seconds for any opposing opinions before I write a ten by his name.

"His partner was also impressive." Another senior gamemaker near the end of the table tells everybody. "She's got a good arm and can chuck spears very well. I feel she deserves a nine."

"Agreed. That's also the score I'd give the girl from District Two." The girl sitting next to him adds.

I write down nines by the names of both girls before I speak up myself. "The boy from Two earned an eight. He was good but not as good as his partner nor the tributes from District One. Anyone disagree?"

"None here. Now as for District Three…" The senior gamemaker sitting next to me started to speak. "…I feel the girl earned a four. The guy from Three, however, easily got a ten."

"Why stop there?" A younger gamemaker, a new member to the team actually, speaks up. "I think he should get an eleven!"

"Look, you're new here. First year on the job and stuff. I know it's hard to tell the difference between high scores, but trust me, he didn't earn a ten." The senior member taunts the new guy. I'd probably laugh at her condescension if I didn't agree with the score.

"I happen to be impressed with the boy's skill with swords!" One of the other older members speaks up. "An eleven is fine!"

"Agreed." I mumble as I write eleven by his name. Before the woman next to me can refute my logic, I open my mouth to speak. "District Four…I'm thinking nine for the girl and eight for the boy."

"Agreed. Both scores make sense. Now for District Five…"

"Two for the boy for passing out in the middle of the session! Wimp!" One of the gamemakers that was drinking shouts. While he may be drunk, he is right. I write that number down by the face of the boy.

"As for his partner…we should go with her request." The senior gamemaker on the end mumbles.

Her request. The girl from District 5 walked into the room and didn't give us a presentation. She told us she didn't want to get a score. She mentioned how she wasn't trying to be graded on our scale and said she'd rather be judged by how she did in the arena. I think she also mentioned something about being underestimated but I can't remember. All I remember was the disappointment I felt. I wanted to see what she can do. She's hiding some secret talent that I really want to see. I know she should get a seven at least, but I can't give her a score based on what I think she can do. _Guess I better wait to see what she can do in the arena…it better be good._

"She gets a one then." I sigh in disappointment. "District Six is next right?"

"Three for the girl, six for the boy." One of the gamemakers replies. No complaints made.

"As for District Seven, the girl should get either a five or a six. And her partner…I'm thinking he gets an eight." Another one mentions.

"The girl will definitely get a five!" The older gamemaker next to me agrees. "And you'd seriously give the from Seven an eight? I'd say a ten!"

"Oh come on! He wasn't that good with a spear!" The first gamemaker rolls his eyes.

"Really? You didn't see his talent?" She replies back.

"Shut up you two!" I tell them both. I get annoyed easily and I don't want to see this turn into a debate. "The girl from Seven will get a five. And to compromise with you two, the boy will get a nine."

The gamemaker next to me sighs in frustration before she speaks up again. "Understood. As for District Eight, I feel like they should both get fives."

"Agreed." The new member mumbles. "That's what I also thought the girl from District Nine should get. The boy from Nine should get a six though."

"That sounds about right." I mumble, writing in the new numbers. "District Ten?"

"Can I take a second to say that the Ten boy is an idiot?" The new member complains about the boy who called himself 'Big Bob.' "He's an idiot. I felt like I lost IQ points just talking to him!"

"You're just saying that cause he yelled at you." I roll my eyes. Nobody seems to appreciate true humor. I found Big Bob hilarious. A tad annoying yes, but hilarious at the same time. "He's stupid. We get it. But he's also strong. I don't think many people can break a table through shear physical strength. And also chucking that thing at us is not easy. Guy's got some serious muscles and that is why I feel he should get an eight. As for his partner…does any have any complaints with her getting a four?"

"None here. Her performance didn't stand out at all." The senior member at the end agrees with me.

"Neither did the girl from Eleven. She was a nervous wreck during her session! She was a wimp too!" The drunken gamemaker laughs. "Three definitely!"

"And her partner probably should get a six. I thought he was okay." The new member shrugs.

"Got it! Now just one more district: Twelve." I tell them all.

"Seven for the girl." The new member speaks again. "She has skill. No doubt about that! And her partner should get…"

"A ten!" One of the gamemakers who had been quiet during the whole decision process spoke up.

"Oh come on! That wasn't too impressive! Definitely not ten worthy!" The senior member sitting right by me shoots down the idea.

"You're the expert on poisons correct?" I ask. He was the one who was praising the kid during his performance. "You really think he deserves a ten?"

"Of course! He created the Black Death! He deserves a ten at least!" He replies, confidently.

"…I guess I can agree." The newer member adds.

"Same here! Why the hell not?" The drinking member laughs.

"…fine. Whatever." I shrug, ignoring the complaints from the older members and writing a ten next to his name.

I close the notebook and stand up. "Well everybody: I believe we have our scores. That's all for today. You are all dismissed."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Hey everybody! Is that faster for you guys? I had more inspiration than usual, so I worked to get this chapter in faster! :)

So there's our gamemaker scores. What do you think on them? :)

I'll be updating as soon as I can! Please remember to review and help me grow as a writer :) I'll see you guys next time though! I'll make sure to update as soon as possible! Hope you guys enjoyed! :) Until then!


	12. Escorts and Mentors: Advice

**Corbin Devereux's POV – District 8**

Yesterday was a pretty busy day with the gamemaker sessions. Today's going to be just as busy too. The interviews are tonight and it's the one other chance I have to earn sponsors that could save my life. We are all supposed to get advice from our mentors and escorts today. I know how important any advice can be, so I'm ready to learn anything I can to help make tonight easier.

_Now…if only my escort would start trying to give me advice._

"I don't understand how are going to work with a five!" Mercury, the District 8 escort, complains to me. "A five? You couldn't do any better? That doesn't stand out at all!"

Although District 8 hasn't had victors in the past couple of years, most of the tributes from my District have been able to receive a score of six or greater during their sessions. Apparently, according to Mercury, Faith and I are the first two tributes in his career as escort for District 8 to receive fives. I didn't know that, but I know now. _He won't let us forget it after all!_

"The gamemaker sessions aren't everything though. There has to be some other way to earn sponsors!" I inform him. Tributes win with low and average scores quite frequently. They had to have sponsors backing them. It has to be possible!

"They aren't, but they are the most important way. They are the only way to get the early help that you'll need kid!" Mercury rolls his eyes.

_It's not like they are that important. So far, none of the tributes you've had with higher scores have been able to come home…_

My mind shuts down with that one thought. None of Mercury's tributes up to this point have ever come home. Is that a sign? Will I just be another one of his statistics? Another dead tribute that he had been assigned to?

_No. I refuse to be another statistic. I will return home. I have to! My family's counting on me to come back. So is Sawyer. So is Rosie…_

I push all negative thoughts out of the way. I can't be thinking that way. I need to survive and I need to get the advice I need to survive. If my escort wants to keep complaining to me, then I'll push the advice out of him!

"The scores aren't everything! Angles are just as important. What advice can you give me on an angle?" I ask him.

"Well I can think of angles you can't follow: the deadly killer, the silent brute, the sexy fighter…" Mercury starts listing various angles that he knows wouldn't work for me.

I sigh as Mercury keeps going on these angles. I don't even remember half of the tributes from District 8 that I've seen have these types of angles! This is also completely pointless. I really don't appreciate him complaining like this. His job today is to give me help in order to survive in the arena, not complain to my face about the mistakes I made.

_Just don't listen to anything he say's I guess. Go with what feels right. Let the Capitol know who you really are and hope they like it…_

So exactly who am I? I am the oldest son in a family of four children. My family is one of the poorest in District 8. I'd do anything I could can to help out my parents and my little sisters. I'm a lover of nature, who would sneak out of my District with my best friends Sawyer and Rosie just to have fun and experience what life outside of the textile District is like. I'm someone who needs to come back home to take care of my family.

It's hard to really think of exactly who I am. I know who I am, but how can I show that to the Capitol? We barely get any time in our interviews. I have to give them something that makes them remember me. Something that will make them want to help me get back home.

"Corbin? Are you listening to me?"

I'm brought back to reality. Mercury is staring at me impatiently. I guess he's waiting for me to answer some question he asked.

"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?" I apologize, asking what he had asked of me.

My escort rolled his eyes a little before he spoke again. "You have little sisters right? That's what I thought you told me awhile ago at least."

"Yes, I do." I reply. "Scout, Cadence, and Bug."

"No need to give me excess information: save that for the interview." Mercury tells me. "That's probably the best angle we can do for you: the caring older brother who would do anything to come back to your sisters, even kill. Mention how they motivate you and how you've started thinking about them again last night. Tell the audience how you want nothing more than to get back to them and that you'll do anything to do so. It'll establish sympathy for you and maybe give people hope that you'll become a savage fighter in the arena. It's the best shot you got to get any sponsors."

I nod in understanding. Despite Mercury's complaints and harshness, he gave good advice. It could get me sponsors. It plays on Capitol sympathy and hope for violence. It also allows me to be myself, as I get to talk about how much my sisters mean to me. I was thinking along the same lines as my escort apparently. It really is great advice…but…

Would I be willing to do it? To kill to come back to them? I've been selectively ignoring the death aspect of the Hunger Games for the most part during my stay in the Capitol. There's no real escape anymore though. The arena might as well be here. If I want to come out alive, I'll have to kill. I know I'd do anything for my little sisters and I'd do anything to come home for them…but can I really kill?

_I guess all I can do is say that I can and hope that win time comes, I will be able to._ I sigh in frustration, barely listening to Mercury mumbling on about the interview. I just want to get the Games over with. I can't stand them. The more time I stay in them, the more upset I get. I just want to leave already. I just want to go back home…

_But you won't be able to do that if you can't get sponsors._ I try and refocus on the advice Mercury is trying to give me. _Whatever it takes to get back to everyone…_

* * *

><p><strong>Lily Walden's POV – District 9<strong>

Today, Iago agreed to meet with Ariel first for the advice session. That meant that I would be advised by my mentor first. Alison, my mentor, should be the one giving me advice right now. That isn't possible though, since she has gotten really sick ever since we arrived at the Capitol. She's not in any condition nor mood to talk about the Games with me. I honestly can't blame her, since I don't want to talk about the Games either! But she isn't giving me advice for the session. Instead, I'm stuck with Isaiah, Iago's mentor…

"Okay, before we begin the session, we need to talk a little about your training session and score." Isaiah starts the session. "You've kept most information to yourself and I need to know some stuff to give you advice."

I nod in response trying to hide back a frustrated sigh. Isaiah hasn't necessarily hidden his support for Iago over me. I also know how he is in favor of aggressive styles in the Games, so I know he wouldn't like my plans in the arena, if I were to even go along with them. He's not going to be pleased with anything I tell him. Still, he asked. I can't lie to him.

"What do you want to know?" I ask him, trying to hide my nerves.

"Let's start with how you've been spending your time during the training days." He replies.

I take a second to breathe in before I tell him what he wants to know. "I've been spending most of time learning knots and various traps. I've also done some time at the survival stations so that I'll be able to live off on my own in the arena."

Isaiah raises an eyebrow at me, giving me only a slight nod. "Understood. No weapon training though? Did you spend any time at all learning weapons? Or do you have any prior experience that you haven't let us know about?"

I bite my lip a little as I shake my head. I can see him shake his head back at me in frustration.

"This might be inappropriate for me to ask, but are you suicidal?" He asks me.

My eyes widen a little bit in shock. _He thinks I want to die?_ "No! Of course not!"

"Then why spend zero time in weapons training?" Isaiah asks, his voice now showing some irritation. "I could maybe understand if you had prior experience with weapons but you have none. The only thought that occurred to me was that you would have to be suicidal to not take advantage of learning weapons."

"No, it's not that!" I state quickly. "I…I don't want to die. I want to go home to my family and friends. No, I don't want to die!"

"Then why? Why not take advantage of the only opportunity you had to give yourself a chance to live?" He questions me.

"…because it goes against everything I believe in." I say rather quietly. I should be ready to stand up for my beliefs but I can't find my voice.

Isaiah raises an eyebrow at me. He motions his hand for me to continue: to explain what I mean by that. I take another breath in before I continue.

"All of this. Weapons training. Violence. Murder. The Hunger Games. Everything here goes against everything I believe about life." I tell him. "Nothing here is right. I…I can't participate in this."

Isaiah stares at me blankly for a few seconds before he shakes his head. I can here his sigh getting more frustrated. I instinctively bite my lip harder. What's he going to say to me now?

"…of course I would get a pacifist. Should have seen this coming eventually." He groans.

"S-Sorry…" I stutter out quietly. I don't even think he hears me. After I spoke, I start thinking. Should I even be sorry? Yes, I am a pacifist. That's just a part of who I am. _Why should I be sorry for who I am?_ I then remember that Isaiah is getting more irritated each time I bring up my pacifism. It probably was a good idea to be sorry. I'm probably not making his job any easier. _But still…_

"Look, I understand pacifism. It's very idealistic and I think most people wish that it worked. I have at least. In some cases, it does work. In others, it doesn't. The Hunger Games is one time that it doesn't." Isaiah tells me with a sigh. "In the Games, where you need to kill in order to live, you can't go out and walk out with no blood on your hands. You're going to have to kill."

"I don't have to. The girl from District Eleven, Seeder, won without getting any kills. That's what I have heard before at least. If it happened once, it can happen again!" I reply, trying to stand up a little bit for myself.

"You're right. She did. And why do you think no other tributes have done that since? That was a complete fluke and the gamemakers have gone out of their way to make to sure every victor gets a kill. It won't happen again!" He dismisses my answer.

I know he's right but I can't admit it. I need to fight against the Games and this is the only way I feel like I can: by not claiming a single kill.

"Violence doesn't work though either. My brother tried that…" I mumble, the memories of my brother's last days coming back to me.

"Your last name is Walden right? You're referring to Justin Walden, the boy who was executed for attacking a peacekeeper and trying to stage a rebellion?" He asks me.

I nod, sad and slightly confused: sad because memories of Justin come into my head and confused because I didn't know Isaiah heard about it. _Well he is from the District. He would have heard about it._

"Look, he chose the wrong time to be violent. Not in the Districts. That's where pacifism is the key. It keeps you alive. Here, it won't. Don't compare the situation with that. If that's why you are so against violence, than remember that your life is on the line." Isaiah informs me.

"I know!" I reply, finally getting some more voice in my head. I can feel myself getting a little angered. I don't like talking about this. I don't like how he doesn't understand how I feel. I get that I need to kill. _I don't think I can kill though!_

"You say you do but you obviously don't. You'll have to kill someone in the arena if you hope to return home. Your only chance is with your traps I guess. But you are going to have to do it." He repeats the same thing.

"_I know!"_ I shout at him, my voice surprising even me. I can feel myself starting to tear up. I look down to the ground and I can feel myself starting to cry.

Isaiah and I do not speak. I continue to stare at the ground, just letting tears fall. I know he's right. I'm going to have to kill. I was being naïve to think I could get away from having to. But I know I can't kill. I won't be able to. I hate violence. I hate the Hunger Games! Still, I know I want to return home. I don't know what to do for the first time in my life. Usually I can figure out some answer to my problems. I can't right now, like I can't stop my tears.

Thinking of my brother also hasn't helped me feel better. It's only making me feel worse.

We remain in silence as I keep crying for awhile. I don't even know how long. I only know that I'm the one to break the silence.

"…c-can we please talk about the interview now?" I say, my voice weak.

I look up to my mentor. He nods at me. He starts going into details about the interview. I know I need to listen. I know it's important. Still, my mind is distracted with thoughts of the Games. More than any time since the reaping, I want to go home. I know I can't though. I probably never will. I try and hold back more tears as I listen to Isaiah's advice.

* * *

><p><strong>Sermina Dean's POV – District 6<strong>

An alarm clock buzzes, signaling that my time with my escort, Saria, is over. I see her sigh in relief. She doesn't waste a second getting up and walking out of the room.

I feel more at ease once she is no longer in the room. She spent a good few hours talking to me about the interviews and plans for them. It was extremely uncomfortable to listen to everything she was saying. For starters, I still haven't gotten comfortable around Saria. She's rather intimidating and demanding, always forcing me to do things that I'm not used to. She's also the one who read my name at the Reaping and called me into the Games. I can't feel comfortable around her. Spending so much time with her alone was extremely uncomfortable for me.

Secondly, I'm not looking forward to the interview. I remember watching the interviews during the viewings of the Hunger Games at home. The tributes sit in the same chair talking to Caesar about their life and their plans for the Games. That's going to be the most awful part of this whole experience since the Reaping. I'm going to be in front of so many people and cameras. It's going to feel awful! Saria was constantly talking about it and it was making me feel more nervous about it. I know she was supposed to be giving me advice, but I was finding it hard to listen to her. I was too distracted and too uncomfortable. My mind couldn't focus on her words: it was just dreading what was about to come.

A few seconds after Saria left the room, my mind starts to relax a little. At least I feel a tad more at ease.

That small period of relief did not last for long as the door to my room opens. I turn to it and see my mentor, Poklon, walks in. Technically he's not mentor: that position belongs to a thirty-one year old lady named Deditus. He does her job and mentors me though since she's addicted to morphling and doesn't do her job properly. He's my mentor and he's about to continue to doing his job. He's going to continue the same conversation I was having with Saria. I can already feel myself dreading it.

Poklon stands near the door for a few seconds before he walks over to where I am. He sits down and stares at me with emotionless eyes. This isn't the first time I've stared into them. It's odd looking into them. It's like staring into a corpse. I remember seeing him in his Hunger Games: it was only a couple of years ago actually. He was only twelve years old when he went in. I guess the Games destroyed whatever innocence he had. Topovska, my partner and his brother, mentions how Poklon has never been the same since the Games ended. I would have to say that is probably true. The lifeless boy in front of me doesn't seem anything like the little talkative boy who was reaped years ago.

We continue to stare at each other for awhile until he finally speaks.

"…what did Saria tell you?" He asks in his shaky voice.

Although he is easier to talk to than the escort, I still have a hard time discussing things with Poklon. I'm not used to being around someone like him. He's intimidating in a different way. Still, I feel I should give him some response.

"She t-tried to explain the process of the interview to me. I…I had a hard time following everything she was saying." I admitted. It was slightly embarrassing to say that I didn't understand something, but it was hard to listen to her with the awkwardness in the air.

Poklon nods in understanding. "Perhaps I can help explain better…"

I nod a little at his words, expecting him to continue. To my surprise, he doesn't. He continues to stare at me with those dead eyes. He says nothing to me and I make no attempt to continue the conversation.

A minute or so passes before he finally speaks.

"…I know you are not one to talk…I'm the same way…would you like a small break before we start?" He mumbles his question a little nervously.

_Did he ask that?_ That wasn't what I was expecting at all. My mind still rejects the idea of learning about the interview process, so I respond with a slightly hesitant nod immediately. He nods back.

"Ten minutes…then we can start…" Poklon mumbles again before he turns his hand and stares off in the direction of the door.

A ten minute break from the Games. I can feel relief flow over me. Even a brief time away from the Games make me feel more comfortable. I appreciate it a lot. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy this advice session with Poklon more than the one I had with Saria.

I close my eyes and start picturing life back home. Topovska, informed me of how to do this during the chariot rides and I've been doing it ever since. Thinking of home is the one time where I can truly relax. I can imagine my mother and father being with me. I can imagine my daily routine and pattern. It's what truly relaxes me. As I try and think of home, I can feel the world around me disappear. I'm now in my parent's bedroom back home. My mother and I are sitting down on her bed. She's grading tests that her university students took as I look over at the papers, trying to understand the work.

"_Mother, this person forgot to draw tangent lines in all her graphs." I inform her, holding out the paper I was looking at._

"_Really?" She asks, confused. She takes the paper, looks at for a few seconds, and shakes her head. "That's disappointing. She's smarter than that. That's just a careless mistake!"_

"_She did everything else right at least." I tell her._

"_True, but still." Mother sighs as she takes a pen out and puts a grade on it. "I don't think that's something you would forget to do though."_

"_Probably not." I admit with a small laugh. "I probably wouldn't do too well on this test though. You haven't taught me anything this advanced yet."_

"_It really isn't that hard. You'll figure it out easily when we spend time on it!" My mother tells me proudly. "You're smarter than most of the professors at the university! Trust me, you would probably do just fine."_

_"Maybe. Maybe not." I reply with a laugh as well._

"Sermina?"

A voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I leave the mental image I created and stare back into the dead eyes of Poklon. I guess ten minutes passed. It didn't feel that long. I guess I spent more time thinking back on family than I thought.

"…are you ready to continue?" He asks.

"Sure…" I reply.

Poklon starts speaking about the interview. Unlike with Saria, I make more of an effort to learn. I don't feel as uncomfortable as before. I feel more at ease. I listen attentively to his words, trying to retain every single thing he tells me.

* * *

><p><strong>Baroque "Brock" Role's POV – District 7<strong>

"So Brock, tell me about yourself." Icarus, my escort, asks me.

This is the fifth time he's asked me this question. We've been playing this game where he pretends to be Caesar and asks me questions about my personal life. The idea sounds good on paper until you realize that Icarus and Caesar have completely different personalities and see things differently. It also doesn't help that he's always asking me the same questions, most of them I doubt Caesar will ask me in the actual interview.

"I live with my mother and sisters. My father disappeared when I was ten. I work in the lumberyard back home in District Seven." I repeat the same answer I've been giving him the past five times he's asked me.

"Brock, come on! We've gone over this: spice that up more!" Icarus rolls his eyes. "Give the audience more info. Why did your father disappear? Is he dead?"

"I don't know why he did or if he is dead…" I mumble, shaking my head. Thinking of my father isn't the easiest thing. I can't help but wonder what actually did happen to him. Did he die? Or did he just leave my family behind? I don't know what happened to him. I'm honestly scared that I'll find out someday. I don't like to imagine how he died or why he would leave us. It just hurts too much. Finding out would prove one of those two thoughts is right and I don't want to have to see that.

"Make up something then! Think of something juicy to bring in sympathy!" Icarus informs me.

"Why?" I ask. I can feel some irritation and anger develop in me. I don't even like imagining what happened to him. _I won't go out and tell the Capitol and my family some false story about what happened._

Icarus opens his mouth to continue but I zone him out. I'm tired of talking to him. I've never been social and this guy talks way too much. I don't really like the advice he is giving me and I have a feeling none of it will help me in the interview. After watching Caesar's interviews from previous Games, I feel like I know a little about him and the type of questions he will ask. None of them are like the simple or outrageous things Icarus asks me. I know how I will answer his questions, the ones that truly count.

Icarus gives me a look that tells me he is irritated with me. I think he might have asked me a question.

"Can you repeat that?" I ask him.

"See, you're just proving my point! Why aren't you taking this seriously Brock? This is the most important night of them all! Don't blow it. You need the sponsors!" He informs me.

It's a little funny that he mentions sponsors. I already had my session with my mentor, Blight, who told me that I was a shoe-in for sponsors on the basis of my training score. Nine is pretty high for a non-Career District and he told me that he already knows people that are willing to back me in the arena. I feel more confident in getting sponsors through my score than by following the advice my escort gives me.

"I feel like the gamemaker session was probably more important…" I tell him what I'm thinking.

"That's what most people think but it's not! So what you got a nine? Get off your high horse and try and work the audience!" Icarus shouts.

I sigh, not responding to his comment. I didn't even intend for that to come off arrogantly: I was repeating what Blight told me and what common sense seems to approve. I don't even think much of my nine: I think I just got lucky. Still, I know I got a nine and that will help me get sponsors even if I screwed up my interview. How does my escort not see that?

"Ugh, look at the time!" Icarus mumbles, looking over at a clock on the wall. "We are almost done with the session and we've made ZERO progress. No angle decided. No topics necessary to bring up in the interview. NOTHING. Come on Brock, give me something to work with!"

"I've been giving you stuff." I mumble, a frown creeping on my face.

"Ugh, fine! This is useless!" Icarus groans, getting up from his seat. "Well, if you think you've given me all you can, then I think this session is over. Good luck tonight then!"

My District's escort storms out of the room, making sure to slam the door on the way out. I've learned from watching him that he is a very emotional and demanding person. If he doesn't get his way, he freaks out. It seems like he is mad at me right now but he will probably get over it soon. Most likely some time before the Games and after the interview.

The room is much quieter with Icarus gone. I prefer it this way. I've always enjoyed the quiet and my solitude. It's more comforting to me than time spent with others. Right now is probably as relaxed as I'm going to be tonight…

_Tonight. _The interview later tonight will probably be a little uncomfortable. I'm used to blending into a background. Having all the cameras and people staring at me will probably be a little intimidating. It's nothing too serious though. It's just going to be rather uncomfortable. What'll make me feel better is thinking that it is the first time since the Reaping that my family will be able to see me and hear my voice.

…maybe my father will be able to see me, if he is still alive.

I push that thought out as fast as it came. I'm not going to think about him now. There are much more important things to focus on. I can worry about him later…

I try and think back to Blight's advice. He was much more helpful than my escort was. He advised me on how to get the Capitol to sponsor me. My angle will be that I am a quiet brute. I don't talk much but I am strong and my body can do all the talking for me. I personally don't see myself as that strong but apparently the Capitol does, so the angle will help me get them to sponsor me. That will help me out in the arena. And Jay. And potentially Roshan, if she is with us. If all three of us stick together, we are going to need sponsors to help bring in food and supplies when we need them.

It's almost scary to think that the Games are really here. They are coming up faster than it seems. All twenty-four us will be thrown into some unknown arena and forced to fight to the death. The Capitol has always done this to the Districts. They enjoy watching us suffer and become monsters. _Unfortunately for them, I refuse to become one of their monsters._ I may play in their Games to help protect my alliance or in self-defense, but I won't become a monster. That's the one thing I'm going to make sure of…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> There we go everybody! I had hoped to write a little faster, but writer's block hits at awkward times :(

One quick question: do any of you have guys have any creative juices for tributes? If so, I have two places for you two go. I have started another SYOT :P If you all have any character ideas, I would greatly appreciate them! The story is up on my page! Also, a friend of mine in real life has published a story of his own. It's called "Burn it to the Ground: The 30th Hunger Games." It should be on my favorite stories page. If you all have any ideas for tributes, send them over to me or my friend, RJB4. We'd appreciate it! :)

Another quick question that actually will impact this story: what do you guys consider an acceptable number of deaths for the bloodbath?

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review and tell me what you thought :) I have a couple of ideas for the next chapter, so it should be coming up much sooner than this! But I'll see you guys later for the next update! Until then :)


	13. Sponsors and Revelations: Interviews

**Celsius Potens's POV – District 1**

I remember the various stories mother has told me about the Capitol. Despite the fact that she left it, she would not hesitate to describe its beauty. The one description coming into my head right now was her describing the interviews. She mentioned how many colored lights would be shining onto the stage and how loud the audience from the Capitol would cheer. Every time I've seen the interviews back home, the mental image she gave me of it was proven accurate.

I know now that everything she said was an understatement. Looking out to the stage where we are all going to get interviewed, I see various bright lights and colors that I've never seen before. The noise I hear from the audience is enough to make my ears hurt. It's more than anything I've expected. The shear power of the event takes me aback!

I stop gawking at the stage when I hear the noise stop to an extent. Only one person is speaking now and the audience is listening. Caesar Flickerman. He looks the exact same as he does each year, the only difference being that is hair is now dyed white like snow. I don't pay much attention to his speech about the Games. It's the same thing it's always been, so I already know what he's saying.

When he stops his speech, he calls out Audrina's name. She stands up from the seat next to me and starts walking towards the stage. I can hear the crowd cheering really loud when she walks on stage.

_It's show time. The interviews are officially on._

Audrina's interview goes just as I expected. She's strong and wants everyone to realize it. No attempts to hide any of her strengths or confidence. Not a smart move but whatever. If she died early, I wouldn't care. It would just be one threat out of the way. And it's not like the Careers wouldn't function if she died early.

Eventually her interview moves to about her personal life, where she starts talking about her family and her best friends. She goes out of her way to name drop them and give them shout outs. Waste of time if you ask me. Nevertheless, I notice that the audience seems to really like her right. She's playing confident and strong very well and I think everyone realizes that she stands a chance at winning. _Or at least they think she does._ Still, she will walk away with a couple of sponsors. She can earn as many as she wants, if she's with the Careers, they are our sponsors too. So go ahead Audrina. Get sponsors. It'll only help me stand a better chance at winning this thing.

When her interview is over and the buzzer rings, the crowd is cheering. I take that time to get up. My turn now. Excellent.

I walk past her coming down the stage. When Caesar introduces me, I make sure to make a better impression than she did. I'm waving to the audience, responding to their cheering. They seem to react well, cheering my name even louder as I get to the chair.

"Celsius, it's great to meet you! How are you doing today?" Caesar asks me politely.

"Great! Today's been a pretty good day!" I told him, smirking.

"I bet! You seem pretty excited." Caesar noted. I gave him a nod in response. "About the Games I'm assuming?"

"Correct. I've thought about them a lot and I have a feeling that these Games are going to be interesting to watch." I say, my smirk not dropping.

The audience reacts with more cheering. _Good_. They seem excited, ready to know what I mean by that. They'll probably work to sponsor me in order to see what I have planned. That'll be beneficial during the arena! _This interview is off to good start._

Caesar starts to question for more information, which I refuse to give him. I respond to all of his questions about the Games with vague answers, hinting at nothing really. I would rather the other tributes not know anything I am planning. I'm only playing for sponsors: the other tributes will know nothing until they feel my dagger go straight through their throat. _By then it's too late though._

Caesar has to realize that this topic is going nowhere. He moves on to my personal life.

"So Celsius, tell me what your family is like? Surely they are just as excited as you to hear that you have a few plans for the Games!" He notes with a laugh.

I laugh in response. "My mother should be excited to hear that. She has been personally responsible for all of my training, so she's intending on me coming home as victor. That's all the family I have though, except for my grandfather. There's probably a good chance he's not too thrilled right now though."

I can see a couple of confused looks from the audience. Caesar gives me one as well. I almost smirk a little bit, thinking that my grandfather, whoever he is, is probably not too happy with me namedropping him like that. Still, I'm going to. I'm going to use him to create some sympathy for me and get a few more sponsors.

"What do you mean by that exactly? Is there some bad blood between you and your grandfather?" Caesar asks me.

I've been planning how I'm going to word this. I can't mention how my mother is from the Capitol nor can I mention that my grandfather is somehow involved in the production of the Hunger Games. That would lead to too many questions and may cause my grandfather, who is most likely a gamemaker here, to push for my early death. No, I'm not going to mention any of that. I'll mention everything I know: just making sure that no references to the Capitol are said.

"My mother and grandfather never got along too much. So she eloped and ran away. They haven't spoken since. I've actually never seen him. I think he's ashamed that I exist, since I'm the product of mother's disobedience." I tell him truthfully.

I can hear a couple of sympathetic noises coming from the audience. As far as they know, this is all District 1 drama, which is just what I intended.

"…well, your grandfather is watching now. Do you have anything you'd like to tell him?" Caesar asks me.

I blink. That's honestly not what I expected him to say. I thought he was going to just say sympathetic words or something. Not have me speak to my grandfather. My mind starts to calculate some words as I try and think of what to say.

I look directly into one of the cameras. He has to be watching. He's probably angry at me right now. But do I want him angry? Even if I wasn't in the Hunger Games and at risk of his influence, would I want him to hate me? No. Truth be told, he's the only real person I want to get approval from, whoever he is. I want him to look past whatever happened between him and mother. I want him to look at me and be proud of his grandson.

"…I would like to tell him that I'm your grandson. I've been training partly because of you and, more than anything, I want to impress you. I want to get your approval. And by the end of the Games, I hope that I have earned it and that you are proud of me. That's all I want." I tell him. My words aren't twisted or calculated: it's all truthful.

"And we all know you can do it." Caesar tells me before the buzzer for my interview goes off. The crowd starts to cheer loudly as we stand up. "Celsius Potens everybody!"

I walk away, feeling proud of myself. I think I had a good interview. I have a feeling the Capitol likes me and they'll want me to go far. They are going to want to see me last and earn my grandfather's approval. _Them and me both…_

_Hope you think I did a good job too grandfather…_

* * *

><p><strong>Inara Abusi's POV – District 2<strong>

When Celsius's interview is over, I get up and straighten my dress. My dress is another reason I hate my stylist. First he put me in that awful peacekeeper uniform for the chariot ride. Now he has forced me into a really low-cut dress that reveals too much skin. I don't remember being told sexy was my angle: I'm supposed to be taken seriously as a fighter! So why am I being put in a stupid dress like that?

It's a really bad sign for tonight if I'm pissed off already.

Celsius finally comes down, taking the seat next to me. I start walking up to the stage. Caesar gives a small introduction for me before I walk out. I can hear the crowd cheering my name and cheering for District 2. I don't like the attention much but I make an effort to seem pleasant and happy. I know that these people can make the difference in my life through sponsorship. Best not to get them irritated now: not when I don't know what's going to happen.

"Inara, it's great to see you! How are you doing?" Caesar asks me in a friendly tone of voice. It actually takes me by surprise. He doesn't seem like any other Capitol citizen I've met. He seems really polite and doesn't seem like an idiot!

_Maybe this won't be so bad. How bad can this guy make the interview?_

"I'm doing great, thanks." I respond with a smile.

"That's good. Enjoying the Capitol?" He asks me. "Because I know the Capitol really has been enjoying you!"

The crowd cheers at his remarks, I guess showing that he is right. A couple men give a wolf-whistle. I fight back the urge to roll my eyes as I try and think of a response for Caesar.

"I am. It's different from District Two, but different isn't bad." I reply truthfully. It is different and personally I like it better. I haven't been the biggest fan of District 2 in the past few years after all.

"Well then I guess we are glad to be different!" He laughs. The crowd cheers again at his remarks.

I open my mouth to say something again but the words are lost as Caesar starts to talk.

"Speaking of your District, I've heard that you're from a rather prestigious family in District Two. Would you care to explain more to us?" He asks, his smile still on his face.

My smile falls. I can feel a scowl developing. _I take back everything nice I thought about you Caesar. Anyone who brings up my family and claims they are a 'prestigious family' is someone I'm not friends with._

"Yes, I do. My father is the head peacekeeper back in District Two." I tell him as quietly as possible. I'm doing my best from not snapping. Thinking of my father tends to cause that and I'd rather snap in front of the audience.

I think Caesar notices my scowl and obvious anger at the mention of my father. I can see a small frown creeping on his face as he puts his hand on my shoulder. I stop myself from slapping his hand away.

"Sensitive subject?" He asks me.

"Very." I reply almost immediately. "We don't really get along very well at all…"

At that moment, Caesar stops talking about my family. Guess he realized that I don't want to talk about it. _Good._ He moves the discussion to my training scores and the Games in general. He starts asking me a bunch of vague questions, which I respond with vague and snarky responses.

"Anyone you are worried about in particular?" He asks me, now bringing up the other tributes.

"Nope! Too early to see who will actually be a threat, since you never know what's going to happen. Everyone with the highest scores could get killed off early. Too early to tell who's a real threat." I tell him truthfully. I think back to my brother's Games. About half of the Careers, with the traditional eight to ten range, died in the bloodbath because the girl from Six went insane at the beginning of the Games and was able to kill them. My brother had the highest score that year, an eleven, and was able to kill that girl from Six, but he ended up dying at the hands of the girl from Ten: a girl who received a four in training. _The training scores mean nothing. Everything will change in the arena._

"So do you think you'll be dying soon then, if you think early threats will die soon?" Caesar asks as a joke, referencing my high score.

"Nope! I was referring to the other people with high scores. Me on the other hand…I won't be dying any time soon." I shrug. "I'm winning this thing, so you'll be seeing me for awhile!"

_I'm going to ride this confident, strong fighter angle as far as it will take me._

Our conversation doesn't get any deeper as we talk solely on the Games. It doesn't take too long before the buzzer goes off and the interview is over.

"It was a pleasure to have you!" Caesar tells me, taking my hand and kissing it. I don't smile back, just nod in response. He holds on to my hand and raises it. "Inara Abusi everybody!"

The audience starts to applaud, giving me a pretty loud cheer. I give them a confident smirk as I wave goodbye and walk off the stage. They seem to like me. Or at the very least think I stand a good chance in the Games or something. I walk off the stage, feeling a little proud of tonight. Guess I didn't do that bad of a job, except for the lack of personal insight, since I refused to talk about my family or life back home. I probably should have said something, but I couldn't. I refuse to talk about my ass of a father. _But who knows, the idiot Capitol citizens will probably interpret that as me being mysterious. That could work in my favor maybe…_

When I walk down and get to my chair, I hear Caesar call out Cannon's name. My District partner has an excited grin as he rushes up the stage and is shaking hands with Caesar. I sigh in frustration. Now I'm going to have to sit back and watch all of the other interviews. Learn about the other tributes, who are all going to have to die if I were to come home. Learn about the family members that I would be hurting if I killed any of them...

_Now the rest of the night is going to suck._

I tune into Cannon's interview with Caesar. It's going exactly as I expected. The arrogant boy is talking about all the things he is going to do in the Games, all the ways he will the other tributes, and how he will be the victor. He's going for the confident warrior angle as well but he's coming off _too _confident. Not surprising, since the guy is arrogant as crap. He's revealing too much information about what he plans on doing in the Games. He outright announced to everybody how he is going to kill the boy from Six, which I think is complete stupidity. _Do you seriously want your number one target to know that you are gunning for them right away?_ The boy's going to live now and you'll have missed your opportunity to kill him. Cannon seems to not realize that though. Well his fault if he says anything that hurts his Game. It wouldn't surprise me if he were to die because of the things he says.

Eventually Caesar turns the conversation away from the Games and toward his family. This is probably what he wanted to do with me. Unlike me though, Cannon isn't hesitant at all to go into detail on his family: the _great_ Estate family. He doesn't hold back any information on how_ amazing _and _perfect _they are and how they_ own _District 2.

"So you seem to have a lot of pride in your family!" Caesar laughs, obviously referencing everything Cannon has said about his family. The audience laughs as well, probably thinking it funny how a guy can talk so much about their family.

"I do! My family is everything to me! Mother and Father have given me everything and helped make me who I am today. I have a lot to live up to though but that's what drives me! I'm not going to let them down. Ever! I'm going to live up to all of their expectations and go even further than them!" Cannon explains. His grin seems to have dropped. Instead, he has a genuine smile on his face. His pride no longer seems arrogant. It seems…sincere.

The interview ends a few minutes after and Cannon is walking down. Soon the girl from 3 goes up for her interview. I don't really notice much of what she said. My mind is still focused on Cannon's interview: on his family.

The boy is arrogant as crap but when he started talking in the interview, he seemed genuinely happy. Proud. He has parents who love them, parents he loves back.

For the first time in my life, I am jealous of the boy who I was put into the Games with. He has the only thing that I honestly want: caring parents who loved their children. If I had that, then Kayden wouldn't have been forced into the Games and he wouldn't have died. I wouldn't have been put into the Games. We would all be living in some normal house like a normal family away from the Games.

_If only…_

* * *

><p><strong>Adam Assange's POV – District 5<strong>

For the first time since I met her, Viz doesn't seem confident. I notice she usually masks her feelings when she is in front of the other District children but she doesn't even seem to be wearing her mask. Right now, I am seeing genuine fear in her eyes. Genuine horror.

This all happened when the girl from 3 did her interview. Viz was wearing her quiet, scared mask before her interview. Sometime during it, she flipped out. I think it was when the girl, Lenora I think her name was, said something about the Games. She made an offhand comment that the other tributes would be 'Shocked by what I have planned.' I'm pretty sure she was implying electrocution. But after she said that one sentence, Viz's mask dropped and she looked completely horrified. It was almost sad to see. I know the girl is pretty much evil and insane, but I can't help but wonder what happened to her in the past. What would have caused that look?

I've been staring at her ever since she dropped her mask. The District 3 boy's interview comes to an end and the buzzer goes off. He had a very successful interview, as the crowd is cheering very loudly and repeating his name over and over again. All of this noise seems to snap Viz back to reality. She looks around a little bit in confusion then looks in my direction.

"Stop staring at me like that! Keep it up and I'll make sure your death is as slow as I can make it." She hisses at me quietly, making sure nobody can hear us.

There's the Viz I know and fear. I turn around immediately. This isn't the first time she's threatened my life, so it's not as scary as it used to be. I used to break down when she said things like this: now I'm able to hold in my tears and shrug at her words. Still, it's pretty scary to hear that somebody already wants you dead. When you are going into the Hunger Games with twenty-three other kids who need to kill to come out, that's the last thing you want to hear!

Now that Viz is back to normal, I turn back to the interviews. Caesar is currently talking to Aqua, the girl from District 4. She's being extremely polite with him and the audience seems to enjoy her. They don't know everything about her though, the part that's terrifying. She's probably the best of all of us at knives, except maybe Viz (who I can't judge: she claims to be good but she never used them at the training). She could easily throw a knife at me blindfolded and I would be dead. She may be a sweet girl now but I know she'll be a deadly killer in the Games. _Avoid her!_

When her interview is over, the boy from District 4, Kai, comes up. He walks up normally but his crippled foot is pretty evident. He brushes any of Caesar's concerns about it and makes sarcastic comments to most of the questions. The audience laughs a lot at them. He's probably playing up some sense of humor to the audience. Not good. Kai is pretty tough and him getting more sponsors is something I don't want to see. That'll just make him even more of a force. _Another person to avoid in the arena!_

_Just face it Adam. Avoid everybody in the arena. You don't stand a chance if anyone finds you. They'd kill you in a second._

Eventually Kai finishes his interview. I turn to Viz, who stands up and starts walking off to the stage. She has her mask on. Guess she put it back on after she snapped at me. The second Caesar starts talking to her, she's stuttering and whimpering like the weak little girl she seems to be. She keeps mentioning her one in the training and talks about how she has been trying to enjoy her last days alive.

She's trying to get everybody to underestimate her. And judging by the audience's cries of sympathy as she talks about her nerves, I can tell it's working. Little do they know that there is no reason to worry about her. She'll survive for awhile. Unlike me…

_I have to stop thinking like that! Think positive! _If I keep assuming I'm going to die, then I probably will. This has to stop. I have to think positively! There is always a chance. I have to get home to mother and Monty after all!

The buzzer for her interview comes pretty quick and soon she's off. She looks as if she's close to her tears. As she walks over to the seat next to me, I see her mask drop for a second. All tears are gone and any sadness has gone away. Her eyes show pride, triumph, and excitement. She knows she got everyone to discount her in the Games. No one is going to expect what she will do in the Games. No one except me. _And I'm one of the first ones on her hit list. This is going to go great…_

I try and get rid of all thoughts of dread as I start my walk up to the stage. Caesar introduces me and the Capitol start cheering my name. I feel my nerves coming up again. I shake hands with Caesar shakily and sit down in my chair, looking down to the ground.

"You seem nervous! Are you okay Adam?" Caesar asks me, his voice showing concern.

"I'm…I'm okay. I'm nervous yeah, but I'm okay." I mumble in response, not looking up. My nerves have overtaken me. _Just great…_

"Don't be nervous! Trust me, you're going to do great!" Caesar tells me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure everyone agrees me. Does anyone here think Adam shouldn't be nervous tonight?"

I can hear a roar of agreement coming up from the audience. I look up, amazed. I think they are only doing this because they were urged by Caesar, but I can't help but smile at this. It's not much, but I can feel a small confidence boost. _Perhaps I'll be fine for tonight._

"I needed that. Thanks Caesar!" I tell him with a smile. "So how are you doing tonight?"

"No problem! I'm doing just great!" My interviewer responds with a laugh.

Our conversation goes from there. We talk about my time at the Capitol a lot, where I describe every positive thing I can think of. Although the list is really short, it's long enough that the Capitol citizens are happy to know that I seem to like their home. I notice that Caesar is avoiding the Games in our interview. Probably doing it because he thinks I'll freak out on him.

Caesar soon decides to change the topic. He looks a little sad and troubled to bring whatever he wants to say up, but he eventually sighs and just says it. "So, I've heard from sources in District Five that you've had a hard life recently. Do you think your experiences have prepared you for the Games?"

Hard life? Is he referring to my father's death? Probably. I should clarify though to make sure.

"Are you talking about my father's death?" I ask him, my voice getting quieter. Memories start to fill my head. I can almost feel tears coming in my eyes, but I fight them off. I'd rather not cry in front of a live audience.

Caesar nods. "And the death of your mother and brother. Do you feel like your losses have helped prepare you for the Games? Because it sounds like you are much more of a survivor than you think you are!" He goes on a little more but my mind has already stopped.

_And the death…of your…mother and brother…?_

"…e-excuse me…did you just say…that Mother and Monty are dead?" I ask after what feels like forever of silence.

"Yes?" Caesar asks me. "I was told that all of this happened before you came here. I thought you knew…did you not know?"

Caesar puts his hand on my shoulder in attempt to comfort me. I barely even notice that. I almost miss the audience's sympathetic crying. I barely even remember where I am.

_Mother's dead…_

_Monty's dead…_

_I saw Monty at the Justice Building…he was going to bail me out…there were noises after he left my room…_

_He died then…he died trying to bail me out…mother died with him, probably out of association…he did mention that she was going to help him break me out…_

_They are dead. They're all dead! It's all my fault…_

The world around me starts spinning. I can't register what is going on anymore. The last thing I hear is the sound of my interview buzzer going off as I fall out of my chair. My final thoughts are of the last time I saw Monty as I fade to darkness…

* * *

><p><strong>Faith Cale's POV – District 8<strong>

Everything is quiet when the boy from 5, Adam, passes out. Everyone knew he was a nervous wreck but nobody saw this coming though. He passed out in the middle of his interview!

I hear laughter coming over from the other side of the tributes. I turn and see the girl from District 1 is cracking up as officials come and carry Adam off the stage and to an infirmary. I give the hardest glare I've ever given in my life at the girl. I don't know the kid at all, but he just found out his family has died. He just passed out. He's probably going to die tomorrow. She has no right at all to be laughing at this! I can feel a fire burning within me as I open my mouth to speak to her.

"Oh shut up!" I shout at her as loud as I can. "Have some respect and shut up!"

She heard me. I'm sure everybody heard me. She stops laughing and turns in my direction, returning the glare that I'm giving her.

"Like I'm going to listen to a girl from Eight! You want to hear something about respect? Respect those who are naturally better than you!" The 1 girl fires back.

Sure she may be better than me in terms of training score, but there's no way she is better than me! _I'm going to let her know that! I'm going to get her to shut up!_

"Cause living off your parent's money and training every day obviously makes you better than me, someone you don't even know. You aren't better than me!" I inform her.

"Excuse me?" She snaps, getting up from her chair.

"You heard her!" Another voice surprises me. I turn around and, to my surprise, the girl from District 10 is standing up. Was Ellie her name? Or was Ella? No matter who she is, she's agreeing with me. She glares at the girl from 1 just as fiercely as I am. "You aren't better than any of us! And you don't have a right to laugh at Adam! He just found out his family has died and passed out from shock! You can't be laughing at him!"

"Why not? Who are you to order me?" The girl shouts. She starts to walk towards us until she is stopped by peacekeepers walking towards us.

"There is to be no violence, especially during the interviews! You will all sit down and avoid harassing each other!" One of them speaks to us in a commanding tone of voice. He's glaring at the girl while another one is staring at me and the girl from 10.

"Fine!" The 1 girl huffs as she sits down. I sit down myself, as does the girl from 10. I notice the girl from 1 is still glaring at me. I return her glare back. I only stop when I feel an elbow hit me. I turn around and face my District partner, who looks completely terrified.

"Try and keep quiet Faith, please…" Corbin whispers to me in a pleading tone of voice. "…you're creating too much attention. All eyes are on you. You have a target on your back now…"

_He's right_. I spoke before thinking. Now I pissed off the girl from 1 and probably all of the Careers. They'll probably be looking for me in the bloodbath. But was I just supposed to sit back and let her make fun of a kid who just found out his family was dead? I know what's it like to have a dead family member and I can't imagine what it would be like to learn that your family is dead when you knew them. _He even learned it with the added stress of the Games! _

Maybe I'll regret it if I'm about to die in the bloodbath. But right now, I don't regret at all. Not one bit!

I'm still pretty angry at the girl from 1 that I don't really pay much attention to the interviews going on. I remember seeing the girl from 6 was extremely quiet and awkward on stage. The boy from 6 came off as a genius and seems to have a level head. The girl from 7 was very reserved but polite. None of them really stood out to me. Maybe they did stand out though. _Maybe the anger is just clouding my mind a little…_

I pay a little attention to the boy from 7, since I'm the next interview. He's very quiet but he doesn't need to speak at all. His muscles do all the talking for him. They speak all that needs to be said. He walks out of the interview session with the loudest applause in awhile. It's not because of the interview: it's because of his apparent strength. He's the strong silent type. _I'll be looking out for him in the Games, that's for sure!_

As he starts his way down the stage, I walk up. I straighten out my dress and walk up on stage. Caesar introduces me and I wave to the Capitol audience, hoping to get some response and see if I have any sponsors. I hear a loud applause, making me think I might have a couple of people out there wanting to see me go far. I'm smirking as I sit down in my chair, pleased that I might have some people on my side already.

"How's it going Faith?" Caesar asks me pleasantly, holding out his hand. I shake it, giving him a smile.

"I'm doing great! I'm calm now!" I tell him.

I hear the audience laugh. I was aware that they saw the whole conflict between me and the girl from 1. They saw how fired up I was. _They probably think this whole thing is funny_! I try and fight back a scowl from developing as I focus on my interviewer.

"Good to hear! That was some fireworks show we just saw!" Caesar noted. The crowd laughs again.

"I guess yeah." I shrug. "But what was I supposed to do? The guy had just passed out and learned that his family was dead! I was going to make sure that nobody would laugh at that! That's just wrong to do!"

I hear an applause from the audience. Caesar is smiling at words.

"I agree! I was very impressed with your actions! You're a feisty girl Faith, but a very compassionate one. That was a nice thing to do, to stand up for him!" He tells me in an approving tone of voice.

More applause comes from the audience. _I guess they don't think it's funny. Perhaps they do realize that the girl overstepped her boundaries. Good._

All of a sudden, an idea comes into my head. The audience seems to love me right now for what I did for Adam. They think I'm a strong person, standing up to the dangerous and rude Career. Everybody has probably forgotten that I got a five in training. All they will remember was a fiery girl from District 8 who stood up to the bully. I'm sure sponsors are going to love this. A part of me feels awful that I'm going to benefit from Adam's loss but another part is grateful that I stand a better chance in the arena, with more sponsors.

_I hope you feel better Adam. I need to give you a hug of sympathy and thanks. You may have given me sponsors that will help me live. Thanks…I hope you are okay…_

* * *

><p><strong>Iago Latimer's POV – District 9<strong>

_Stupid girl. Stupid, stupid, stupid girl._ She's going to be on a Career hit list the second the Games start. She's going to have to sprint out of the cornucopia if she has any hopes of surviving the bloodbath. That was an admirable move, standing up for the boy from 5, but that was very impractical. She stood out. She made herself a target. I'll be surprised if she survives now. I'll bet the girl from 1 will gun for her right at the beginning of the Games.

Of course, she has another target to go for. I turn to the girl sitting next to me and shake my head in frustration. Ellie made herself a target as well. She got a four for training, which makes her a target if the Careers have the 'kill-the-weak' mantra. Add that to standing up against one of the Careers and you have a bad combination. She may die in the bloodbath as well. I really hope that won't be the case. She's in my alliance. I don't want to see her dead! But she may be targeted. That'll ruin a couple of the plans I had in the Games. The Careers might be gunning for us now…

_Stupid girl. Hopefully you don't have a target on your back. For all of our alliance's sake…_

Unfortunately for the District 8 boy, who is following his District partner, the Capitol will be too focused on the scene that just happened. He'll probably be forgotten. The same problem will happen with Lily, who will follow him. Possibly me too, although that will work well with my strategy.

I've made sure that I come across average to the other tributes. I obtained a six, one of the more average scores you could obtain in the Games. It's not weak, but it's not strong. I plan on having a very average interview, nothing extravagant and completely forgettable. Making a show in these is foolish and will only get you a knife in the back from someone who wants to kill you before sponsors can help. I won't make a show. They'll forget me. I'll blend in with the other tributes, especially with the ones within my alliance.

If everything goes as planned, no one will come after me in the Games. They will have bigger (or weaker) fish to fry. They'll target the ones with the sponsors, the ones with the higher scores, and the ones that just piss them off. I will fit into none of those categories. By the time they remember I'm there, it'll be too late. I'll have a knife in their back. Then I'll be the winner and I can return home to my father and my friends. That's how things will go if my plan works. _I just now have to make sure everything goes according to the plan…_

My thoughts are interrupted as the buzzer goes off, signaling the end of the District 8 boy's interview. I may not have paid attention to it, but I can tell by the lackluster applause that he didn't come off nearly as exciting as his partner. I'm hoping that trend will stick for a little while. At least until my interview…

Lily goes on stage and I make a note to listen in. Lily is an interesting one to me. She may be too nice and idealistic to be a true threat in the Games, but I can tell she has a calculating mind in her. She's a genius. If she were to get the nerve to kill in the Games, she'd be deadly. I'll be keeping her eye on her, making sure that nerve never comes into her.

Her interview isn't that bad but the audience still seems to be a little preoccupied with the event from earlier. She tries to describe life back home with her parents, her siblings, and her boyfriend but not too many people are interested. She starts discussing some of the architectural and mechanical designs she has created but not many people care. She's likeable and is coming off smart, but the Capitol audience is still too interested in the event from earlier. Too bad Lily. This may work out for the best for her though. She'll probably be forgotten once the Games start as well…

Eventually her interview ends. She gets the same response the boy from 8 got. I stand up at this time and walk over to the stage, passing my partner.

"Good luck!" She tells me. She said those words with genuine sincerity, something I'm surprised anybody could do for anyone in the Games.

"Thank you." I nod in response, not really knowing what to say.

I keep walking up to the stage. I walk out the second Caesar starts to introduce me. The Capitol starts to applaud. I only nod in the general direction of the audience as I take my seat in the chair, shaking hands with Caesar after we are both sitting.

"How are you doing today Iago?" He asks me, the smile he always has still on his face.

"Very well, thank you. Today has been a rather good day! And yourself? How was your day?" I ask back politely.

"Mine is going great! And I think it's only going to get better from now on!" He informs me with a laugh. The audience seems to agree, as they cheer.

Caesar opens his mouth to ask me something but I beat him to the punch by speaking first. "Have you been enjoying the interviews this year Caesar?"

"Have I? Why yes I have! I love my job after all!" He tells me a grin. The Capitol cheers again. It's obvious they love Caesar Flickerman. _He is also one of the few Capitol people that the Districts don't completely despise, so that must mean something._ "But aren't I supposed to be asking the questions here? You're the one being interviewed after all!"

"I am, but I thought it would be a lot more fun to have some pleasant conversation." I tell him simply. "Do you not agree?"

I can hear some laughter coming from the audience. They probably think I'm joking with Caesar, having a good time. I'm honestly just trying to keep the conversation away from myself and the Games.

"I do agree, but I need to get you interviewed! That's my job after all!" He informs me.

"It is, but you should have some fun once in awhile. I'm sure everybody would enjoy the opportunity to get to know you a little better while they get to know me." I tell him teasingly. The Capitol audience cheers in approval again.

"Well I have no problem with that, but we can do that later!" He dismisses my idea with a laugh. "We need to get the interview going! Although I will say, I'm sure your good sense of humor has made you a little popular with the other tributes."

I smirk a little bit. That killed a little bit of time. Less time for the rest of the interview. Hopefully nothing will really stand out from the rest of it.

He starts discussing the Games. He tries to get me to reveal my plans and strategy. I respond in vague terminology, making sure I reveal nothing. He tries to pull for information but he gets nothing. Eventually he sighs in frustration to the amusement of the Capitol. He then moves to a different topic.

"So, what's life like back in District Nine?" Caesar asks me, moving the conversation. I look at the clock and see that it's almost over. _Perfect. Won't spend too much time on this._

"Life is pretty normal. I live with my father and spend most of my time with my friends. I was going to get a job in the grain factories eventually but I haven't done much. Pretty boring life if you ask me." I tell him with a sigh. All a complete lie. I have no intention of working in the factories and I'm pretty sure the occasional thievery makes my life not normal. Still, a simple background like this is easily forgettable and won't stand out in terms on an interview.

"I see. Well a normal life isn't a bad thing!" Caesar laughs. "I notice you mentioned only your father. Do you not have a mother?"

My mind shuts down for a second. That was something I had not predicted him to ask. I was expecting him to say something about my life and how it wasn't boring and try and pull for more information on that. That was something not expected. He asked about my mother. My dead mother. The one who tossed me out because she couldn't stand the sight of me.

"…she's dead." I answer truthfully. It's relatively common to have a dead parent so it's no big deal to mention that.

I ignore Caesar's words of apology as my mind starts to drift off. I can think about my mother's passing easily with no ill regrets or sadness. For some reason, though, I feel depressed now. I feel a sorrow that I haven't felt in years. Was it actually talking about her? I really don't know, but I can feel my emotions coming up within me and clouding up my mind. My mother starts coming into my mind. Soon, my sister joins her in my mind.

For the first time in years, I feel my emotions take over me. _I can't deal with this. Not now. Not right before the Games._

"…before you ask, I do have siblings: a sister. She's probably excited to be seeing me on television right now." I tell Caesar. At first I'm surprised by the fact that I mentioned her. Then I realize that she and my mother are too focused on my mind.

Caesar asks me what I mean by that. I hear the buzzer go off, but I continue to explain what I mean. "Because she blames me for mother's death. I bet she's looking forward to watching her brother get killed in the Hunger Games."

I don't wait for Caesar's ending comments. I get up from my seat and walk off the stage. I can feel tears forming within my eyes. _Tears! This can't be happening now!_ I made a mistake by mentioning my mother. I may have thought about her multiple times, but talking about her for the first time in years has brought back too many emotions. I can't think straight right now. I sit down in my chair and put my head down on my lap.

_You haven't cried in years Iago…just get it all out of the way right now. You can't cry or be sad in the Games. That'll just distract your mind and get you killed. Just get it all out of the way right now._ I keep repeating these words to myself as tears roll down my face.

* * *

><p><strong>Ellie Moon's POV – District 10<strong>

I give Iago a slight pat on the back as I get up and start walking to the stage. I've never seen him like that before. He's usually so calm, collected, and almost diabolical. He almost seems like someone who has no emotions. It's odd to see him breakdown like that just at the mention of his mother._ I wonder if there's more to the story than he's telling us. I really hope he is okay…_

I force those thoughts out of my head when I walk onto the stage and Caesar introduces me. I need to focus on myself. _This is important Ellie! You mess things up a lot, so you can't make a mistake tonight!_

The first thing that I really notice is all of the cameras and lights on me. All of the people staring at me and cheering for me. I realize that I am going into the Hunger Games, but I can't help but feel a little excited by all of this. This is something I never imagined would happen to me. All eyes are on me. I'm not just a normal girl. I'm somebody who people are interested in: somebody that people are trying to get to know.

"Ellie?" Caesar's voice snaps me away from my thoughts. I turn to him and give him a puzzled look for a second before I remember that it is my time for the interview.

"Ah!" I gasp a little as I sit down in my seat quickly and shake hands with him. The audience is starting to laugh at me. _Good work Ellie. You screwed this up already, like you screw up everything…_

"How are you doing today? You look a little preoccupied right now!" Caesar asks with a laugh.

"I'm great! And I am a little. It's just…it feels odd being here!" I admit with a slight laugh.

"I can understand." Caesar nods. "I sometimes wonder how I work here. It just has a certain feeling about it. Something really powerful."

"Exactly! It's something I haven't felt before!" I tell him truthfully. I really have never felt like this before. I just wish this was occurring for some other event: not the Hunger Games.

Caesar and the audience laugh for a little bit before Caesar continues with the interview. "You didn't seem this out of it when you were helping Faith out in that little dispute. You seemed pretty focused and admirable!"

The audience starts to cheer and I start to blush a little. Yeah, I stood up with the girl from 8, Faith, against that obnoxious Career girl. I can get a little sensitive and irritated at times, and the girl was just being awful! I'm surprised I didn't snap even worse! That is no way you treat someone who just went through so much a few minutes ago! There's very few moments in my life where I'm proud of myself, but I'm grateful that I did that. I'm very grateful that I stood up against that awful girl. For the 5 boy's sake…

I take a second to look into a television screen above me and I notice that the cameras have turned to the girl from 1. She's mad. Very mad. She obviously does not like the way this thing turned out. I can tell she's glaring at me right now. Now that I've seen her on the television, I can just feel the intensity of her glare. She'll want me dead. I'm going to have to be extra careful in the bloodbath. I thought getting such a low score would make me forgettable. I guess I just made myself a little too known a little while ago…

Caesar, once again, interrupts my thoughts with a comment. "I'm sure your family is very proud of you for that!"

_My family._ I smile back at Caesar's words. "I hope they are!" I respond. They are watching right now. They have to be. They have to have seen me stand up to that Career girl. Are they thinking that was a good thing to do? Maybe not in terms of the Games, but are they proud that I wouldn't let her make fun of the boy from 5? I think they might be, which makes me feel even more proud in myself for doing it. Emily had to have seen me do that. _Maybe she will one day step up and defend someone against a bully. Perhaps I can be a good role model in whatever time I have left…_

Caesar takes the opportunity to start talking about my family. I don't waste a second describing my parents and Emily. I throw out any and every positive adjective I know when I'm talking about them. If I were to die, I would want them to know every good thing I thought about them.

Soon we switch topics to my friends and life in District 10. I answer all of Caesar's questions. It seems like he is satisfied when he comes up with one more question.

"So Ellie, we've learned that you are a beautiful girl, inside and out. Very caring and a loving sister. Surely there has to be some guy in your life!" Caesar asks me, grinning.

I can feel a blush developing on my face. He wants me to say someone. I feel embarrassed to say that I don't have anyone back home waiting for me. What's more embarrassing to me though is that I actually thought of someone though: just not someone back home. He's here…with me…

_No._ I can't be thinking anything like that! I just met Nelson a few days ago and we are about to go into the arena together. Only one of us can come out! I can't really like him! I can't…

_But he is such a nice guy._ He treats me like no other guy has ever treated me. He's so polite, friendly, and funny. I may only know him a little bit, but what I know is…perfect. But I don't love him! I don't and will not! Maybe if we could have met outside of the Games, but not in them! I won't feel anything for him during the Games!

…_or will I?_

"…I don't have anyone back home…" I finally mumble. That should be it. End discussion. Still, Nelson remains in my head. Without thinking, I find myself adding something. "…I did find somebody here though."

I hear the Capitol audience gasp. I, too, gasp in shock. _Did I seriously say that? No, I did not! I don't feel that way!_ I can feel my blush getting even redder and wider.

"Who?" Caesar nearly demands, his curiosity completely evident on his face. I shake my head, not being able to say what I was thinking. I spoke without thinking. I don't feel anything! I'm not going to say anything!

My eyes wander over to the television screen again. I notice that the cameras are now going back and forth between the guys in the Games. I think they are trying to see if any of the guys reacted, to see if that's who I was talking about. The camera moves quickly from guy to guy until it stops. Right on Nelson, who is blushing as well. He's looking down to the ground, trying to hide it. I almost giggle a little, thinking about how cute he looks trying to hide his blush.

…_wait, did I just think that? Do I seriously like him like that?_

* * *

><p><strong>Jamor "Jay" Lovet's POV – District 11<strong>

I know I have a problem with blushing and getting red in the face. Still, I don't think any blush I have ever had can match the one on Nelson's face. He's trying to hide it but it's still noticeable. Very noticeable. It's a little cute how he tries to hide it when the girl from District 10 mentioned something about a guy she might like. I think I saw them spend time with each other in the training, so I guess that she was talking about him.

The girl rushes down the stage and heads to her seat. Nothing happens after that. The boy from 10 is still sitting in his seat and ignores Caesar calling his name. I think he fell asleep! It doesn't take long before a peacekeeper comes up and pokes him in the back.

"Robert, it's time for the interview!" He tells him.

"Don't say dat name! Dat's not meh name! It's Big Bob! And I'll go to dah interview when I wanna go!" The boy snaps, trying to punch the guy in the face. He misses. The boy stays in his seat for a few more minutes before he groans and gets up, heading over to the stage.

I have a good feeling about how that interview will go so I don't pay too much attention. I'm more focused on my impending interview. _I'm next!_ I'm going to be up on stage in front of many strange Capitol people who I have never met. I'll be right in front of cameras that will show me off to all of Panem. I can feel my trademark blush going over my face. How am I going to be able to speak in front of such a large audience?

_I'm just going to have to think that I'm talking to my family. _That I'm talking to my parents and Ule. That's what Seeder suggested in the advice session. What else can I do? It's also not too far off from the truth: my family will be watching. It's just they are watching with millions of other people from the Capitol and all of the Districts…but I can ignore them! I'll just be talking to them…I hope I can at least.

Eventually I'm brought out of my thoughts at the sound of booing. The audience seems very offended right now. The boy from District 10 must have said something. I can hear him yelling at Caesar, who looks offended and a little upset.

"I don't get why you are so upset!" Caesar tells him, trying to apologize for something. It also looks like he's a little irritated. "What did I say? Did I ask you something you don't want to tell us?"

"I don't wanna talk to ya, idiot! Ya don't know nothing bout me and ya never will!" The boy snaps.

The conversation stays like that a for a few more seconds before the interview buzzer goes off. Caesar tells the boy he can go and the crowd starts booing. _The interview must have gone worse than I thought it would have._ The boy doesn't seem to care that much though. He just walks down the stage, as irritated as he normally is.

As he takes his seat next to me, I can feel myself getting more nervous than I had been all day. Now it's my turn. Time to face all those people I've been dreading…_just focus on family…just focus on family…_

I slowly walk to the stage and up to where Caesar is. He introduces me and I walk out. The loud applause and cheering makes my eyes move to where the audience is. I have an even better view of how many people there are here! I've never seen this many people before! So many people are just watching me. This is even worse than the feeling at the Reaping! I have the urge to run away again, the same feeling that's come up at pretty much every moment that I feel uncomfortable. I try and push it back, like always. I have to be here and try get a couple of people to like me and sponsor. _If I can even survive to use them…_

I nervously shake hands with Caesar and take my seat. My eyes start looking for the nearest camera. I look directly into the first one I find. It's facing at me. _Okay Jay…calm down. Think: mother, father, and Ule are watching you right now. Try and think about them…try and talk to them._

"How are you doing tonight Jamor?" Caesar asks me politely. I turn away from the camera and towards him. I can feel myself feeling a little uncomfortable so I turn right back to the camera.

"I'm…I'm doing fine…" I stutter, fidgeting with my fingers. I think it's very apparent that I'm nervous right now. If my voice isn't showing that, then my face surely is!

Caesar obviously catches on to it and I can feel him put his hand on my shoulder. "There's no reason to be nervous Jamor. We don't bite. We're going to have the greatest interview possible! And you're going to walk away with many new friends! I'm sure everybody agrees with me, right?"

There's a loud applause from the audience. In the back of my mind, I think they are clapping just because I'm not the guy from 10 who was just interviewed. But if they were clapping because they agreed…could they be my friends? They couldn't be. Friends don't make their friend feel so uncomfortable. _Friends don't look forward to watching their friend die._

I'm just going to have to pretend. With a sigh, I try and imagine Caesar as somebody from my family.

"I'll try to not be…" I mumble back. "…by the way…I…I go by Jay...not Jamor."

The crowd laughs. They're probably laughing because of the meek way I told him about my nickname as opposed to, once again, the District 10 boy who yelled at everyone for calling him 'Robert.' All the laughter makes me feel even more uncomfortable. I turn my head to the exit off the stage, hoping that the interview will end soon so I can run down that way and head back to my chair.

"I'll remember that!" Caesar tells me. "So why not you tell me about life back home? What's District 11 like?"

"Um…District 11 is nice…" I answer. "…I live with my parents and my older sister Ule…"

"I think we all remember Ule!" Caesar mentions. "We saw her at the Reaping! Do you two have a good relationship?"

_They remember her? Of course! _They all saw the Reaping videos and saw her try to volunteer me. They saw my father hold her back. They must have heard the desperation in her voice when she tried to volunteer…

"We do…she wanted to volunteer for me but I'm glad father wouldn't let her…" I tell him quietly. "…I wouldn't want her to die for me…I'd rather die for her."

The crowd gives some sympathetic cries and Caesar tries to tell me that I won't be dying. He then starts asking me a bunch of questions on my relationship with Ule. I answer all of the questions he has half-heatedly, my mind focused on my sister. What would have happened if she could have volunteered for me? She would be in the Games and I would be watching her right now. I'm sure she would be in the running to win the Games…but something tells me that she might not have. I've seen some of the tributes and I don't know how Ule would fight them. I don't know how I'm going to fight them!

A part of me is glad that I'm here in the Games instead of her. I would rather die for her than have to watch her in the Games. Another part of me wishes that neither of us were at risk of the Games. I just wish I could leave this whole thing behind and just go home: something I know I will never be able to do again…

* * *

><p><strong>Nelson Sieg's POV – District 11<strong>

Jay's interview doesn't last long. It doesn't feel too long at least. She stands up from her interview once the buzzer rings, shakes his hand, and then sprints off stage and towards her chair. _Now it's my turn…_

I try and avoid looking at Ellie as I walk up stage. I try and not think about her either. I don't want to be blushing and looking like a fool on stage! Instead, I try and focus back to my advice sessions. I remember everything Seeder told me about the interview process and I replay all of the information. I've got to stand out. Make them like me. Give them a reason to support me in the arena. I remember the angle I'm supposed to go with and I can't help but grin. I've thought up a couple of jokes and some conversation with Caesar that could maybe get some sponsors.

_Years of fighting with my older brother and sister for attention is finally going to pay off!_

When Caesar introduces me, I walk out and start waving to the crowd of people. I actually blow one of them a kiss. That's what the guy from 3 did when he walked on and the crowd seemed to love it. They still do, as the cheering gets even louder. A little too loud for my ears to take actually. I can barely hear anything!

I rub my hands over my ears for a little bit. After an accident I had with tracker jackers when I was eleven, my hearing has become extremely sensitive. Normally I can't hear very well because of it. Right now, I'm hearing way too much and my ears are starting to hurt. This is a different feeling than not being able to hear something: at least that doesn't hurt!

Eventually the noises go away. The crowd stops cheering. My ears still hurt though and I can barely hear anything that's going on. I look over to Caesar, who seems to be saying something. He stares at me expectantly for a few seconds before I finally shake my head.

"…what?" I ask him.

I can catch laughter coming from the crowd. Caesar seems to chuckle as well. The pain seems to be subsiding a little bit, as I'm able to hear it a little. He starts to speak again.

"I asked you how you are doing Nelson." He laughs. I actually register what he said. Guess I can hear again.

"Sorry. I have hearing problems." I shrug, telling him the truth. "And I'm doing pretty good so far! A little excited I guess!"

"I understand. I use to have hearing problems myself!" Caesar laughs. Unlike me though, he probably was able to get medical help for it and have the problem fixed. "And I bet you are! Tonight's been a very exciting night!"

_You're telling me. A lot has happened tonight. I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the other tributes. A lot has been revealed…_

Caesar opens the interview with stuff on my life back home. He asks a little about my hearing issues and then tries to get info on my family. I leave out the tracker jacker accident, not knowing how the Capitol would respond to it. I don't hold back anything about my family though, joking around about them.

"My older brother, Dominic, is the strong one of the family. He's one of the best field workers District 11 has! My older sister, Colene, has the brains in the family. She's probably the smartest girl in the District and probably will open up some business or something that will succeed!" I inform everyone listening of the two siblings that I had to compete with for attention. _Now to get some more attention right now._ "And then you have me, who inherited the good looks and a personality!"

Laughter breaks out from the Capitol audience. A few more jokes like that and I'll probably get people rooting for me just for the comedic effect. Best of all, I doubt most of the other tributes are taking me seriously! This was the strategy Seeder suggested for me and I think it's going to work for me.

"Well I'm certain your looks have made you quite popular with the ladies!" Caesar notes with another laugh. "Do you have someone back home that is interested in you?"

I can feel myself starting to blush again. The first person to come to mind wasn't even from my District. She's here in the Games with me…

_Ugh! I can't think like that!_ Sure, Ellie is a sweet girl. Probably one of the nicest I've ever met! And she's a great singer. She has an amazing laugh. And she's pretty cute. _And she may like me as well, according to her interview…ugh!_ I really can't like her! Not when I'm going into the Games!

"I don't have anyone back home…" I mumble out, not looking up at Caesar, fearing my blush will lead him to bug me with more questions.

"But you do like someone then, don't you?" He asks knowingly, a small smile on his face. I try to deny it but the words don't come out. My silence I guess answers his question. "It's nothing to be ashamed about! So, tell us about this girl!"

I sit in my chair in silence for a little bit. It's not that I'm ashamed about anything! But I don't want to be liking a girl when we're going to have to fight each other…

_Wait, so that technically means I DO like her. Great…just great…_

"Oh come on! Don't be silent! Just tell us something about her." Caesar begs. The Capitol cheers, hoping to get information out as well. I sigh. They aren't going to stop until I cave in. Sure I could wait till the interview to end, but that'll just make this last bit of time torture. _Might as well say something…_

"…she's very sweet. And kind. Possibly one of nicest and most beautiful girls I've ever met. She has the smile, laugh, and voice of an angel." I confess. I can feel myself getting even redder.

The crowd seemed to cheer and give off some happy reaction to that.

"She sounds like a sweet girl." Caesar tells me, smiling. "And I have a feeling she probably returns your feelings."

I open my mouth to say something but I'm cut off by Caesar, who is pointing to one of the television screens. I turn to it and see Ellie is on screen. She's blushing rather hard, trying to look away and hide it. I also see the faintest bit of a smile on her face. She did tell everybody that she fell for one of the other tributes. Guess everyone in the audience is starting to think it was me…

…_but is that a bad thing? And is it even false?_ I can feel myself smiling a little. I was originally upset by the idea that I could like her. Right now, I'm actually pretty happy: happy that she seems to like me back. _Maybe falling for her won't be a bad thing at all…_

* * *

><p><em>Five Hours Later…<em>

**Ephidel Limstella's POV – Head Gamemaker (49th Hunger Games)**

I yawn, getting out of my car after I pulled up in front of President Snow's mansion. How late is it right now? I have absolutely no idea. One minute I was home, ready to get some sleep before the Games tomorrow. Then, I received a call from the President. He said he wanted to discuss something with me in person and asked for me to come to his house. I really want to be back home sleeping, since tomorrow and the next few days are going to be long and important days where I'll need to be awake. Still, what can I do when the president requires your service? And since he went out of his way to call me himself, I'm guessing this is important.

I walk up to the door of his mansion and ring its bell. The door opens up in a few minutes. To my surprise, the president was the one who opened it. _He must really need to talk to me._

"Ephidel, thank you for coming this late at night! I would like to apologize for disturbing you. I know you are a busy man and tomorrow's an important day." President Snow apologizes, although its not too sincere.

"It's fine. What can I do for you sir?" I ask him as polite as I can. Granted it's not too polite, since I'm tired as hell, but I have to remember who I'm talking to.

"Yes, I have something I would like to tell you! Some advice before the Games starts." He tells me. "Take a seat, I'll be back with some tea. That should wake you up!"

The president soon walks away, heading to go get some tea. I watch him walk okay, a little shocked and upset. He called me to his mansion this late at night…for advice?

I shake my head in frustration. I'm the best gamemaker this country has ever seen! It may be my first year as head gamemaker, but I made a name for myself working under the other gamemakers! I received the full support from Angela Sharpe, one of the previous head gamemakers, when I tried out for the position a few years ago. Does the President not see my skill that he needs to give me advice? I hate being doubted and I hate being thought of as weak. _This advice better be pretty damn important…_

President Snow walks back in with two cups of tea. He hands me one of the cups, which I take and take a sip. He sits down in the chair next to me and turns to me.

"Ephidel, as head gamemaker, the events of the Hunger Games are directly associated to you. Any side effects and consequences that results from the Games are all on your head. You realize this, don't you?" He asks me.

"I do." I tell him with a bit of a yawn. I realize I'm technically a figurehead, but what's he getting at?

"Last year's head gamemaker, Axel, did not realize this." Snow mentioned, taking a sip from his own cup of tea.

I can feel a cold spell going over me. Axel Marauder…my rival. The man who beat me for the position in the previous year. The man who retired after only one year as head gamemaker. Is there more to this story though? What did he mean when he said Axel 'did not realize this?'

Suddenly it hits me. I remember thinking it when the president was staring at me with those ice cold eyes at his mansion earlier this year. Now I know it must have happened. Axel must have made a mistake with last year's Games. Something that displeased the president. And because of whatever mistake it was, Axel was punished. I'm starting to question this retirement: did he really retire? Or is that a cover-up?

…_is he even alive?_

"I'm just letting you know that under your position, you are at the head of everything and all blame for any events come back to you. Any mistakes will be…dealt with. I trust you understand this and intend on making zero mistakes." President Snow tells me, taking another sip of his tea.

_He's threatening me! He's outright threatening my life!_ The cold feeling I felt earlier returns even worse than before. He could do it. He could kill me and make it seem like an accident. Or an unrelated accident. If this man wanted me dead, then I would be dead and no one would think anything of it.

One thing's for certain now: no mistakes will be made. I will make sure I live!

"You don't have to worry, President Snow. I intend on making zero mistakes and making this the greatest Hunger Games Panem has ever seen." I tell him, trying to sound like my confident self. It doesn't come out right: sounding a little shaky.

"I trust you can!" He nods at my words. "That is why I called you here. I also want to ask for a little personal favor during the Games, something I trust you won't make a mistake in."

I tense up, nodding my head slowly. _Whatever this favor is, it most be accomplished…_

"I'm sure you know that I've had many children, varying in age. And I'm sure you know about my oldest daughter, Euphemia." President Snow starts talking.

I nod. Euphemia was his oldest child. She died at the young at the age of fourteen. Mugged on the way home from school and died from injuries. That was nineteen years ago, before Snow was even president. I don't really know what this moment has to do with the Games or whatever request the president has for me, but I don't say anything.

"Well, for this favor, you should know something: she never died." He tells me, taking another sip of the tea.

"…then what happened?" I ask him, giving him a strange look. She did die! The newspapers mentioned her death in an accident on the way home from school. There were even pictures! President Snow even grieved for her this year on the anniversary of her death! What does he mean she is alive? Did the Capitol and the press really fake this whole event?

"Euphemia and I never got along. She disliked me and my ambition and I disliked her impulsiveness. Then one day, she ran away. A District 1 victor had just came to the Capitol for that year's Hunger Games and she eloped with him. She fled the Capitol and went to a life in District 1." He explains the true story. "I worked with a few people in the media to fake a death scene so that way people wouldn't know that my daughter left to live in the Districts."

My eyes widen, partly due to realization that someone actually fled the Capitol for the Districts. The other reason is that the story matches up with a relatively similar story I heard today. There's a couple things added to this one, but it's a similar tale…

"…did she have a son with this victor?" I ask him.

"She did." Snow informs me.

…_I see what he's getting at with this story now...I know what his favor is now.  
><em>

"When I reached the position of president, I was able to get my revenge. This victor had a bit of a rebel in him, so it was relatively easy to get an excuse to get rid of him. It would be much harder with her, since she changed her legal name and seemed to act like your normal woman from District One. However, I was never intending to seek immediate revenge directly at my daughter. I thought of a better way to get revenge…" He states as he takes another sip of tea.

…_just as I expected._

"So now, I leave you with my personal request: get my revenge. That's all I had to tell you. You can leave now. Good luck tomorrow!" President Snow informs me, obviously done with me and wanting to leave.

"Thank you President Snow! I will do what you say!" I tell him as I stand up, shake his hand, and walk out of the mansion.

I head to my car and start it up. My mind's a little messed up as I think back and forth about the president's request. _It's ironic._ I almost feel a little bad for the kid, but the President wants him dead. He wants his revenge, and since I want to live, I'm going to work to make sure his revenge is enacted.

_Looks like these Games just got more interesting…_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I'm sorry everyone for the wait for this chapter! I had a bit of writer's block hit me, which really sucked. Especially considering this is a pretty big chapter, so I had to wait for it to relax a little. I wanted this chapter to be as good as I could make it. I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the wait! :)_  
><em>

Lot's of revelations this chapter. What do you think of everything in it?

I'd also like to thank you guys for the info on the bloodbath! I've read them and have taken them into consideration! I just wanted to ask, since my opinion on the bloodbath keeps changing :P But what will happen? You'll just have to wait and see! Only two more chapters until it's here!

I'll stop my rambling here! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Send me a review about your opinion and thoughts! It'll only make the story better :) I'll make sure to update faster next time! Until then :)


	14. Countdown to Chaos

**Celsius Potens's POV – District 1**

I was escorted to a small room the second we arrived at a building: the building where we will be sent off into the arena. I can barely contain my excitement, trying to imagine what is going to happen in only a few hours. I don't have too much time to imagine the Games since my stylist, Helena, walks in soon after I arrived and starts looking at me.

"Looking good sexy!" She purrs, walking over to me and trying to give me a hug. I scowl in response.

"Sure I do." I reply, rolling my eyes. Her words remind me of Benedict's taunting, which pisses me off.

_I wonder how 'sexy' I'll look covered in someone else's blood. Will Benedict be thinking it still? Will Helena? That's what is going to happen after all, right? The Games are today after all…_

…time to find out what grandfather has in store for me.

It bothers me knowing that I don't know who grandfather is but he knows who I am and is going to work to make sure I leave the arena dead. What did he think of last night? Does he care that I want to earn his pride and approval? I guess I'm going to find out in the arena. If he wants me dead, then I'll find out based on how many gamemaker traps are aimed at me. Even if he does, I'll just have to make sure he doesn't get his wish! Prove him wrong and earn his respect! I can do it that way if I need to!

"So you ready to see what you're wearing in the arena?" Helena asks me, interrupting my thoughts.

I glare at my stylist, no longer pretending to like her. The interviews and chariot rides are over, so there is no longer any reason to pretend if I like her or not.

"Sure." I respond coldly. She looks a little shocked by my tone of voice but goes to get my outfit from some other part of the room.

I can feel the glare disappear and the scowl starting to turn into a large grin. _This thing is going to start soon…let the Games begin!_

* * *

><p><strong>Inara Abusi's POV – District 2<strong>

"Just let it be known, I don't approve of this outfit. Like at all. But all of the tributes are required to wear the same thing, so you're stuck with it I guess." My stylist, Dante, complains to me.

No words can describe out grateful I am of that. Last thing I need is some extremely tight piece of crap uniform to wear into the arena. I don't want to look sexy: I want to be practical. I'll take whatever it could be over anything Dante could imagine.

When Dante comes over, he holds out the uniform to, letting me see every bit of it.

"Crappy, I know. But it's what we have to work with." He sighs.

I raise my eyebrow as I study it. It's not anything I was expecting to see. I was expecting the usual uniforms that all of the tributes are required to wear: the outfits they wear in training. Instead, we have a very thick black coat that has red lines going down it. The coat has the number two written on its back, which I can only assume is a reference to my District. I can also see a hood present on the coat, which has fur on it and seems like it could easily cover my whole face from any cold. There is also a par of black pants that look just as thick and bulky as our coat. Dante also has a pair of black goggles and black gloves.

I don't think I've ever seen so much equipment and clothing in any Hunger Games! Hell, I've seen Hunger Games where they had less clothing, since they were on a beach and the gamemakers wanted the tributes to look as good as they could before they were covered in their blood. If the gamemakers are giving us all of this clothing for the Games, then there must be a reason. The arena must require all of this…

_This is going to be a cold as hell Games._

I hate the cold but I'm just going to have to suck it up. Serenity is counting on me to win this thing. She may not have been alive at the time, but I remember the pain I felt when I watched Kayden die in the Games. I'm going to make sure she doesn't have to go through the same thing. Considering her physical condition, that's the last thing she'll need!

_In just a few minutes, the Games will start. I'll become a killer…whatever it takes to come home to you Serenity. I love you little sister. I'll be back for you…_

* * *

><p><strong>Lenora Leming's POV – District 3<strong>

"Come on! Put it on!" Pluto, my stylist, demands as he hands me the outfit I'll be wearing into the arena. "I'll step out so you can put on the pants and stuff. I'll be back in a few seconds though, so you better have it all on!"

I don't say much as my stylist walks out. I only put on the uniform he gave me. The second I have all of it on, I can feel the room get approximately twenty degrees hotter. It is thick, bulky, and hot! Too hot! This isn't making me look forward to being sent into the arena. I can only imagine how cold the arena is going to be if this is what we are required to wear…

I also can't help but wonder how I am going to survive in the arena. I spent a good amount of time at the survival stations but I feel extremely unprepared in comparison to other tributes. District 3 is the District most separated from the environment. There is zero green and any connection to nature within our District's limits. I don't know how much connection the other Districts have, but it is surely more than what I had. That's an advantage that I don't have!

_Then again, how big of an advantage could anyone have in one of the Hunger Games arenas? It's not like anyone could be used to everything? And nobody should be prepared for gamemaker traps. We are all on an even playing field…_

Beetee's words of advice from our advice sessions remain in my head. I repeat them slowly over and over again. Although it troubled him to discuss his Games like that, he told me exactly how to create electricity with what limited supplies I'll be able to get in the arena. If I can get my hands on a few things, I should be set. It's the only chance I have of going home. If I can get it work, then I will have drastically improved my chances of survival. _It has a proven success record after all…_

Mother, Lumera, Gabriel, and Cidney might laugh when they see my plans. I would be the kind of person who would rely on electricity to get home instead of weapons or physical strength.

…_I just hope I can come home to them though. I just hope I don't die…_

* * *

><p><strong>Kai Seagray's POV – District 4<strong>

"Do you like the outfit?" Piper, my stylist, asks me after I have my outfit that I'll be wearing into the arena on.

_Do I like it? Did she honestly ask me that again?_ I think I made my opinion very clear when I stalled the process of putting it on as long as possible. I thought I made it clear by rolling my eyes every time she brought it up as I was putting it on. Does she think, by magic, that me putting it on will make me like this thing any more?

"Not one bit." I repeat the same thing I have been saying.

My stylist shrugs. "Understood. Too boring if you ask me. And it's probably not going to be easy to walk in those pants."

_Oh trust me, I know._ The pants that I'm wearing are extremely bulky and were awkward to put on. It's pretty hard to even stand up in this outfit. I don't even want to imagine what it's going to be like to run. And on top of all of this, I have a crooked leg and have had problems running to begin with. But whatever. I'll just have to deal with it. If I have any hopes that I can survive, I'm going to have to adapt and just deal with it.

Silence sits in the room with me and my stylist until a loud voice starts to speak from an intercom system. "Thirty seconds remaining."

Thirty seconds huh? It's funny to think that in just thirty seconds, the Hunger Games will be starting. I'll be out in the arena. Everything that has happened in the past few days has built up to this moment. It's pretty intimidating but there's nothing I can do about it. Just go in as strong as you can and work to make sure I'm the one coming out!

As if by instinct, I can feel my hands moving in a sign of the cross. The second I finish it, I close my eyes and start to pray. _Father, protect all twenty-four of us as we enter the arena. Allow us to enjoy whatever time we have left in our life if it is possible. Help keep our minds and our sanity intact and prevent us from being corrupted. Father…if you wish me to live, give me the mental strength needed to survive. If you have other plans…then allow me to have the mental strength to survive as long as I can and to enjoy my final days. No matter what happens, please watch over my family and the family's of all the other tributes. Comfort them when death appears on their screens. Please…help them. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen…_

I still have no disillusions that God would choose to save me over anyone else that was put in the Games. It only makes me feel better: helps give me the mental strength I'm going to need to survive and keep my allies alive. And on another level, praying is an act of rebellion against the Capitol. That alone is reason enough to pray!

…_it's time to see what is going to happen._

* * *

><p><strong>Viz Candela's POV – District 5<strong>

When the intercom announced that there was only thirty seconds left, my stylist ran out of the room, not wanting to spend any more time alone with me. The room has become much quieter now that she is gone and more comfortable. I've always hated her and now I will not be seeing her for the next week or two, or for however long the Games are. Excellent!

I'm sure I am not the only tribute who has been thinking of the Games. Everyone probably is. They have to be thinking of what they are going to do: trying to work out some futile plan to get them to survive. I'm actually a little bit excited as I imagine all of their plans come crumbling down. It'll happen. After all of the observations I've made and all of the work I have accomplished in the training sessions, I know for a fact that I'll be walking out of the arena alive.

What do the other tributes think of me? They only see me as weak: a little girl who received a one in training and started to cry in her interview. They've underestimated me and now they are going to pay for their miscalculation. It'll be too late when they realize what they did.

The only who knows the truth is Adam, but he is a nonfactor. He'll be dead right in the beginning. I won't even bother gunning for the weakling: I'm sure one of the Careers will kill him off. Instead, I'll probably just try and flee the cornucopia with a couple of weapons and tools needed for survival. I won't hunt anyone right away. But I almost pity the fool who attempts to target me first. If anyone tries to kill me in the bloodbath, I'll make sure they regret it. Their corpse will be unrecognizable by the time it comes back to their District.

I don't think Rez is going to like any of the plans I have for the other tributes. She's not a big fan of the Hunger Games or violence. Still, she knows I am going to have to kill to go home to her. She'll just have to accept it. It's what has to happen. I'm going to have to kill twenty-three other people and she's just going to have to accept it.

I can feel myself starting to grin as I imagine the other tributes piled up in a pile right by the cornucopia. They're all dead. They're all going to die. I'm actually getting a little excited for this. _This is going to be a little fun…_

* * *

><p><strong>Sermina Dean's POV – District 6<strong>

"…I am not wearing this." I tell my stylist as I toss the right glove back to him. I already have every other part of the outfit on. I just refuse to wear the right glove.

"Sermina, you are required to all be wearing the same thing!" My stylist, Xavier, reminds me. "You can't just toss out one of the gloves! Besides…" He starts to trail off.

Besides what? Am I going to freeze without the glove? I can already tell by the outfit that we are going to be sent into an ice arena or something similar to that. Is that what he is implying? Well still, I'm not wearing that glove. I already have one!

"I…I'm using this instead." I tell him, pulling out a large white glove.

"Okay, look Sermina. You aren't wearing that thing! It goes against the whole uniform. You are wearing that glove!" He tells me.

I shake my head. _It's more than a white glove though._ It's one of my father's gloves that he wears while doing research back home in District 6. It's what I would be wearing if I could just follow down my planned life and become a researcher. It's my physical connection to home and my District token. _I'm not wearing some other stupid glove when I already have this!_

"I am going to wear this…" I reply, looking away from my stylist.

"Sermina, just put the other one on!" He pleads.

"Nope." I reply again as I put on my father's glove. It's rather big, making my hand feel a little awkward in it. I don't really care though. It's his glove and it's my glove now. It'll have to do.

My stylist looks like he is able to argue before he just sighs and turns around. "Fine, whatever. I don't really care. Not my design for the outfit anyway. So just wear it I guess. Whatever."

With that, my stylist storms out of the room. I'm confused for a second. He claims he doesn't care but why would he be making this a big deal then? _Capitol people are strange. Then again, people in general are strange…_

With no one to distract me, my eyes start to wander around the room. They stop when they reach the tube that I'm supposed to stand in. It'll take me to the arena. In less than thirty seconds, I'll be standing in it and I'll be sent into the arena. That thought alone terrifies me! I've done my best to avoid thinking of the Games, but now I can't avoid it. It's here. It's finally here!

Mathematically speaking, I have a one out of twenty-four chance of coming out alive. Not the best odds if you ask me. Then you have to add the fact that most of the other tributes are better trained then me. They have more skills with weapons and are physically stronger. That adds even more to the chances against me coming home. After all of that, you have to add in the sponsors and gamblers, who will be rooting for the stronger and better-looking tributes and will be giving them money and sponsorships. After factoring in a lot of excess details, my chances of coming out alive are probably one out of about two hundred, if I am lucky.

But then again, didn't I have to have those odds to get reaped for this thing? The odds for me entering the Games were probably similar to the odds of me leaving the Games. And I was put into the Games. Maybe that's a sign. Maybe I can get lucky…

* * *

><p><strong>Baroque "Brock" Role's POV – District 7<strong>

"You're like an arctic warrior Brock!" Domino, my stylist, informs me as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "Do well kid! I'm expecting to see you walk out alive!"

"Thank you." I reply, giving him a slight bow. Out of all of the Capitol citizens I have met, he is probably the one I respect the most. He has done a good job with my outfits prior to this and has helped me earn sponsors from people watching. I am grateful for what he has done for me and I don't intend on letting him down.

All of his work, and my work for that matter, will be put to the test now. How much do the sponsors actually like me? Will they be sending gifts my way in order to improve my chance at survival? I'm going to need all of the help I can get, since nothing will be as expected in the arena. It doesn't matter what your score is, everyone stands a chance at dying. I'm going to need all the sponsors I can get! For myself and Jay! And Roshan if she is with us…

The second the Games begin, I'm going to have to seek them out. Find Jay and help get her out of the cornucopia as fast as I can. After that, the strategy will be centered strictly on our survival. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we both can survive. Hopefully Roshan will be working with us as well. It'll make it easier to watch over her. It'll be beneficial for our chances of survival…

One thing I know for certain though is that my game will not be centered on killing. My mother and sisters will be watching me and I don't want their last image of me as some killing machine. I won't be hunting the other tributes: I'll only act in self-defense. I refuse to become a monster and I'll be doing my part to make sure I don't!

"Twenty seconds remaining." The intercom system announces.

"Looks like it's about time." Domino sighs. "Better head in. Good luck kid!"

I nod in response and start walking to the tube. The Games really are beginning now. But in the end, they won't change me. That's the one thing I can be certain about and that's the only thing I can think about right now. I'll make sure I come into the arena as Brock and leave as Brock…

* * *

><p><strong>Corbin Devereux's POV – District 8<strong>

"Twenty seconds remaining." A voice from the intercom speaks.

"You should be heading out." Janus, my stylist, informs me. He gives me one last hug before he pushes me off. I start to walk off in the direction of the tube where I'm supposed to stand in. _The tube that'll be transferring me to the arena._

I don't really respond back to my stylist until I get to my spot in the tube. I give a slight wave as I start to look around the room nervously. This could probably be the last time I'm in a room without someone trying to kill me. The second the tube shoots me up into an arena and the gong signals the start of the Games, death will be happening all around me. _I should try and enjoy this moment of peace while I still have it…_

Despite my fears, I'm also a little excited to get sent into the arena. Definitely not because I'm ready for the Hunger Games though! I'm a little excited to see the arena. Based on the heavy uniform I'm wearing, I can assume that I'm not going into an indoor arena. It's going to be a snowy, arctic arena probably, but it will be outside! It'll be nature!

It'll be in the arena in an environment where I'll be able to shine. Among the members of my small alliance, Kai is definitely the strongest with Faith being a distant second. In terms of popularity with the Capitol audience, I'm sure they are both even. I probably blend into the background between us three. Once we get into the arena, I'll be able to step up and prove to be a backbone for the group. I thrive in nature and can find ways to make us all survive! I will be able to identify food that is safe to eat and I could easily find water for us. I could probably hunt in the arena for food if I'm able to get my hands on a weapon as well. I'll be able to be an asset to everybody!

I remain standing in the same place in the tube, waiting impatiently for the Games to start. Although I want to see the arena, I can't help but feel horribly nervous because of the Games.

_Maybe I can make this seem like it is just another trip sneaking out of District 8 and into the woods around our district. Imagine Faith and Kai as Rosie and Sawyer._ That'd probably make the Games easier for me.

_But I wouldn't be able to kill Rosie! I couldn't kill Sawyer! I can't imagine that! But then again, could I even kill Faith or Kai?_

I put my hands to my head in frustration. _I hate this…I really hate this. _But what can I honestly do? Nothing. Just go into the arena and hope to whatever god there is out there that I can come out alive…

* * *

><p><strong>Lily Walden's POV – District 9<strong>

I can't help but slightly appreciate the irony. In less than twenty seconds, I'll be seeing my first Hunger Games. Every year, I've always closed my eyes and ears during the required viewings and have found ways to prevent myself from watching. Now, I finally get to see my first Hunger Games. _And it happens to be a live, interactive show…_

Isaiah's words from my advice session with him keep ringing in my head. He called me out on my pacifism and idealism and told me that they don't work in the Games. I feel slightly upset at myself for not trying to learn a weapon in the training session every time I think back to then. If I attempted, maybe I would stand a better chance. _Maybe I would be able to return home…_

Just like each time before when I think back to that conversation, my mind immediately rejects that idea. _No, I was right to not bother learning a weapon! I couldn't kill anyone in the Games! It's best not to have wasted my time!_ I keep repeating these words to myself, hoping more than anything that they are true…

Once the Games start, I have to get out of there. I have to run. I've heard all about the bloodbath at the cornucopia and I know I need to get away from there as quickly as I can to avoid. I'll grab whatever supplies I need to survive and leave. I'll have to be fast to avoid dying and to avoid seeing someone else die, but I'm just going to have to be fast. I'm going to have to be faster than I've ever been in my life! But then after that? Just try and survive for as long as I can. Until someone catches me and tries to kill me. Or until the gamemakers try to get me to kill someone…

…_let's just hope it doesn't come to that…_

* * *

><p><strong>Robert "Big Bob" Zorn's POV – District 10<strong>

"Ten seconds remaining." A voice speaks.

Where the hell does that voice come from? Nobody is in the room! My stylist left a long time ago after she gave me my outfit! Nobody's here! Yet still, that voice keeps speaking, announcing how many seconds are left until the Games start.

"Who said dat?" I shout to the voice.

Nobody responds. Whoever is speaking is a wimp. They can't face me, so they hide somewhere to announce the time. I can feel myself getting more and more pissed off.

"Screw you! Answer me ya idiot!" I scream. Once again, nobody responds.

_Well go kill yourselves._ I don't care anymore about the voice. I'll deal with it later when I win the Games. For now, I'll just concentrate on the Games. They are starting soon after all. So what's my basic plan? Probably get supplies in the bloodbath and leave it. Maybe kill someone if I can. And after that? _I guess survive…and kill…yeah dat sounds good for me._

I keep waiting in the tube, waiting for the Games to start. Nothing happens. Nothing keeps happening. It has to be much longer than ten seconds already! I can feel the anger rising in me.

"Hey! Voice! Hurry dis thing up already! Just start deh Games!" I scream at the voice again, expecting the Games to start already. Once again, I get no response.

_I getting really pissed off now…dis won't end well for deh other tributes…_

* * *

><p><strong>Nelson Sieg's POV – District 11<strong>

I wave goodbye to my stylist as she walks out of the room. That leaves me alone in the tube, waiting to get sent off in the arena. _Just less than seconds left. Then it all begins…_

Then what? The second the Games start, I have to find my alliance. Once all five of us are together, we all need to get away from the bloodshed and survive on our own. From there…I don't know. I can't plan anything else. I hate being unprepared, but there's not much else I can think of for this scenario. Just go in, get with everyone, get out of the cornucopia, and see what happens from there.

More than anything else, though, I need to find Ellie. I need to make sure she is okay and gets out of the bloodbath. Out of everyone I'm working with, I trust her the most. More than anything, I want her to survive. She might not need any help from me, but I'm going to find her and help her get out if she needs it.

It's funny that I would feel that way going into the Hunger Games. I shouldn't. I should be focused on myself before anything else. Any worry I feel towards my alliance and anyone else should be solely out of concern for myself. Still, I can't think that way with her. There's something I can't shake…I just have to make sure she lives. Even if it means my life…

My thoughts are interrupted as the entrance to my tube is shut. I can hear some faint sounds from the intercom but I can't understand. I think it's announcing something about the Games.

_Showtime Nelson. Don't screw this up. This is going to be the most important moment of your life…don't screw it up._

* * *

><p><strong>Roshan Alicia Davis's POV – District 12<strong>

I can feel movement coming from underneath. I'm being pushed up from the tube and into the arena. Here it comes. In just a few seconds, I'll be standing on top of a metal plate around the cornucopia, waiting for the time to head off. Time for the Hunger Games. After agonizing days of training, it's time to go into the Games and see if I can come out…

I instinctively move my hands to the small piece of plush in my hands. It's the stuffed dog clip on that my baby brother, Stanley, gave to me. My District token. I refused to accept this when he first gave it to me at the justice building. I was screaming and begging for him to keep it, since I know how much he loves it. He, and my parents and the twins, convinced me to take it however, since they said I would be coming back and I could give it back then. It's kind of funny to me how I didn't want to take it then, because right now I am clutching onto it for my life.

As I hold on to it, I can feel a sudden chill take over me. My body starts to shiver, which only causes me to hold the stuffed animal pin closer to me in a desperate attempt for comfort and warmth. The inner walls of the tube I am going through are starting to collect with frost. I had a feeling this was going to be an ice arena the second I saw our outfit for the arena but I never expected it to be this bad. _And I'm not even out into the arena yet! This is going to be awful!_

A bright light from above starts to shine down. It overcomes me and I close my eyes. I only open them when I feel a strong gust of freezing wind hits me. I open them and I can feel amazement cloud my mind.

I have never seen this much white before in my life. I've seen District 12 in the winter days, but that doesn't even compare to this! We are all standing in the middle of a gigantic snow wasteland. Snow keeps falling down as well, adding more piles to the already huge wasteland. There is no green present between my eyes and the cornucopia. The cornucopia is supposed to be colored gold but I can't see any of this color. All I see is the white snow that is completely covering it.

My eyes move to the items and weapons scattering around and inside the cornucopia. I can see the usual backpacks and some of the weapons I had suspected. There are knives, swords, spears, axes, bows and arrows, etc. I notice a pickaxe and an ice pick that look eerily similar to the ones you would use in the mines back in my District. There's even maces and other extremely sharp objects. Beyond the weapons though, my eyes notice the torches scattered around the cornucopia near the backpacks. Those are going to be necessary for survival. _With how cold it is right now, I am going to need a torch!_

My eyes start to move to the arena outside the cornucopia. I look all around me and see a gigantic area for hiding. There are forests to both of my sides. I am sure they are completely frozen and filled with very little vegetation, but they could be used for something! Behind, I see nothing but a continuous snow wasteland. Nothing of interest immediately behind me. I'm sure there is something there, though. I'll have to remember to keep my eyes open if I go that way. I also notice the towering mountains in the background in front of me and behind the cornucopia. There's no doubt that is part of the arena. That'd be an opportune place to hide. Perhaps Brock, Jay, and I could hide there…

Jay! Brock! I need to find them! My eyes now move toward the other tributes surrounding me. I see that I'm between the boys from District 1 and District 6. I then look at the tributes around them. I don't spy Jay or Brock! They have to be on the other side of the cornucopia. _Great…just great._

So I guess have to decide now. I've been toying with the idea for awhile now and I was just about to commit to it. Now…do I want to align with Brock and Jay? And risk getting killed by running to the other side of the cornucopia to meet up with them? I have to decide quickly: I don't have much time. It's kind of hard to think of what to do, though, in this weather. The coldness is distracting!

Just then, I hear the voice of Claudius Templesmith.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Forty-ninth Hunger Games begin!" He speaks.

At that moment, the final sixty seconds begin. The countdown to chaos has just started…

* * *

><p><strong>Audrina Prescott's POV – District 1<strong>

**60**

Here it is! The moment of truth! The moment I have been waiting my whole life for! In just sixty seconds, the Games begin. It's the beginning of my journey to becoming victor. These are going to be the longest seconds in my life, but I have to wait them out patiently. I can just barely contain my excitement though.

**59**

The only thing that is making this moment awful is the cold. I hate this weather! I wasn't really expecting it to be this cold in the arena, especially with all of the clothing we were given for this year's games. But nope, it is. I'll just have to win the Games faster than I had planned on winning them. That'll get me out of here…

**58**

My eyes move around to the tribute around me, yearning to see who I can target. I need to get the first kill. That's what I want more than anything. I want that first kill and I want the glory of obtaining it!

Sadly, I'm between the pathetic boy from District 5 and Benedict. Benedict is someone I can not kill yet, as he is Career. Can't target my alliance early. And I guess I can settle for the boy from 5, but I was hoping for my first kill to be more…exciting. It would be on someone that was actually worth killing. Or maybe the girls from District 8 or 10, who were being extremely disrespectful to me at the interviews last night. Who would dare talk down to someone with a nine in training and from District 1? No one sane! Those girls are idiots and will be killed quickly! But, luckily for them, they aren't around me. Instead, it's the boy from 5. I guess he'll do though. He'll probably be screaming and crying as I shove my spear into him. He already looks like he is going to pass out again as we speak! Perhaps I will enjoy killing him!

**57**

I then turn my eyes to the cornucopia. I scan the piles of weapons and supplies until I see what I'm looking for. I see a spear, sticking out in snow. _That's it._ That's what I want! That's what I'll be using to get my first kill! Excellent!

**56**

Mother and father have to be watching. So are the twins, Zander, and my friends. They are all watching me from their television screens back home. I have to give them a show! They'll be proud of me and all that I plan on doing as they watch the Games. They'll see me get the first kill and they'll watch me progressively get more kills. I intend on giving them a show! I'll be making them proud, that's for sure!

_You were doubting me earlier, weren't you Zander? Well, you won't be doubting me now! I'm winning the Games. Just watch and see…_

* * *

><p><strong>Cannon Estate's POV – District 2<strong>

**55**

A feeling of excitement and confidence rushes through my body. This must have been what my mentor, Brutus, felt like last year. It was here that he knew he was going to win. It must have been, because that's what I'm feeling right now. I just know it. I'm coming out as the victor!

**54**

First order of business though: find him. I look over to my side and see that Aqua and the girl from District 6 are by me. I ignore them and search through the visible tributes. Eventually, I spot him. The boy from District 6.

Why do I hate him so much? I'm not really for certain. There is something about him that I never liked from the second I saw him in the recap of the Reapings. I'm not one to question why though: he pisses me off and he's competition. I'm gunning for him first. I'm going to make sure he's dead once the Games start! But right now, I have to wait. Wait until the timer stops.

**53**

Waiting would be much easier if it wasn't so frickin cold, though. Is it even possible to live in this? I don't even know! It's pretty damn miserable out here already and the Games haven't even started yet! And, knowing gamemakers, it's going to get worse as the Games continue. I can already imagine all of the blizzards that'll be happening. I'm going to need to get my hands on a torch quickly!

Wait…torches…

**52**

I can't hide the grin that's coming over my face. _Oh, this'll be fun._ I have something planned now: something I plan on doing the second the Games begin. The audience might be excited to see it. I know I'll be excited to do it! Oh yes, this'll be fun!

**51**

After I'm done with this, they'll remember me. The Capitol will know my name forever. All of the Districts will remember it. I am Cannon Estate! I am going to earn a legacy that surpasses the one my parents gave to the Estate family. The world will fear my name when I'm done with this arena. And my parents will be proud to see it. If it was even possible, my grin grows larger. I don't feel any cold anymore. I'm too preoccupied with my thoughts. Too excited for what's going to happen. _Just let these Games start already!_

* * *

><p><strong>Benedict Letat's POV – District 3<strong>

**50**

For the first time since I arrived in the Capitol, I feel out of my element. I fit very well in with the society and the world of the Capitol. Here, out in the arctic arena, I'm out of my comfort zone. That is the problems with being raised in District 3. I've had no connection to the natural world, and now I might have problems for it. In the end, though, that doesn't matter. I'll adapt. I'll get used to this blasted cold and awful snow!

**49**

My mind gets back on track to the Games as I start scanning the visible tributes for anyone that's a threat. I have Audrina and the girl from 9 right next to me, both of which are no true threats to me. Audrina is not simply because she is an ally for now. The girl from 9 won't me any threat to me down the line, either, so I'll let someone else gun for her. I'll be looking for…more important targets.

Kai is relatively close to me. I'll be watching him to make sure he is with the Careers or not. If he isn't, he'll be on my hit list. I also notice the boys from District 7 and District 12 in a distance. They aren't too far away. I'll be going for one of them once the Games start. They both received a nine and ten respectively in training. They are more dangerous than any of the other Careers if you ask me. I'll make sure that both, or at least one of them, are dead by the time this thing starts.

**48**

From there, I'll keep working with the Careers. Kill all of the tributes I can until we get down to the final ten or something. It'll depend on how many of the Careers are alive I guess. Still, I'll probably cut loose from them relatively early before they can stab me in the back. I know sexy boy wants me dead and I'm going to make sure he doesn't get his wish!

…you know, I wonder if sexy boy looks even better when he is a corpse. I'll find out later in the Games I guess! I'll be excited to find out!

**47**

I wonder exactly how much preparation the other tributes have had for the Games. No one seems to have thought up plans as in detail as mine. _I don't really care though. _Better for me, though. It's only natural I would have thought more in detail when it comes to the Games. Most tributes who volunteer for the Games only go in for the fame and leave with that fame. I intend to use the position of victor as a stepping stone. I will use the status of victor to get me influence in the Capitol and my District. With that influence, I'll be able to gain power! I'll be able to make myself mayor of District 3. I'll probably be able to eventually find a way out of my pitiful District and into the Capitol. Perhaps I can get a seat working directly in the Capitol government? The sky is the limit when I win the Games and I intend on soaring it to its highest!

**46**

The Capitol civilians better be ready. I know how much they enjoy the Hunger Games and I intend on giving them a show they won't soon forget. They'll remember the sight of this snowy wasteland covered in the blood from the Districts. I'll make sure they remember it!

* * *

><p><strong>Aqua West's POV – District 4<strong>

**45**

I guess for the first time since I entered the Games, I feel nervous. Not nervous enough that I'm shaking or doubting my chances. Just a little nervous. I guess I'm just anxious to get the Games started. Ready for this thing to start! That and the coldness of the arena is really effecting me!

**44**

Nevertheless, I'm definitely not acting like the other Careers. I'm standing between Celsius and Cannon, both of whom are staring at the other tributes as if they are lambs about to be slaughtered. I guess it's not too far from the truth though, since twenty-three of us have to die. Still, I don't think I could look at them like that. I'm sure Inara isn't looking at them like that either!

My eyes move until they see her. Inara, my ally. She's pretty far away, barely in my visibility, but I found her. She looks a little troubled, situated between the boys from District 11 and 8. She certainly isn't staring at them like they are about to die. She looks just like I think I look; a little nervous but with confidence at the same time.

**43**

After I saw her, I start looking around the arena. It's more than just a cold wasteland: it's filled with space! This might be one of the largest arenas I've seen! It seems as if the snow wasteland behind me goes on for eternity. And the forests to the left and right of me are also interesting. What's different about them? What did the gamemakers do to them? I'm interested to see what exactly is planned!

One thing I know for certain though is that my arena is much better than Beck's arena from two years ago. His arena was a desert, something that's becoming almost as common as the forest arenas. They haven't done many ice arenas. Actually, this could be the first one. I don't remember ever seeing or hearing about one. Guess I'm making history by being part of this one! Pretty exciting I guess!

**42**

Just forty-two more seconds. That's all that's left until the Games begin! I'll probably spend most of the remaining time just counting each second. I have a feeling this is going to be the longest period in my life.

**41**

I'll be coming out as victor soon. It's strange to think, but it's finally going to happen. I just need to stay focused and strong. _I can do this! I can totally do this!_

* * *

><p><strong>Adam Assange's POV – District 5<strong>

**40**

_I am going to die._ In just forty seconds, I'm going to die. It's not like anything will be changing though. I knew from the start I was going to die. Now, I'm about to die and I already feel like I'm dead. I'll be joining my family in a few minutes…

**39**

I still can't believe it. I can't believe Monty and mother are dead. They died with me when I was called for the Reaping. Monty's attempt to bail me out failed and he was caught and executed. Mother must have been killed out of association. They died because of me. It's only fitting that I'll be joining them in death soon. I'll be with them in just a few minutes. Monty, my mother, my father and I…we will all be reunited soon.

**38**

I clutch my District token tightly in the palm of my hand. It's my father's glass eye, the one I found in the dumpster the day after he went missing. It's how I knew he was dead. I had always hoped that holding on to it would connect me to him spiritually. I know now that I'll be connected to him soon. It's just going to happen in a different way than I wanted it to…

**37**

My grip on the eye grows tighter. For the first time in my life, I truly hate myself. I hate my weakness. I wish I could have been stronger. I wish I was stronger! If I was, Monty and mother would not have doubted my chances and would have not attempted to bail me out. They would still be alive! And if I was stronger, I would stand a chance in the arena! I am good with knives but I can't hope to rely on them. Why? Because I'm weak! I'm not mentally strong! I can't kill anyone. I'll die. I'll die because I'm weak…but I don't want to die...

**36**

Even though I know it's the inevitable, I still have to resist my death. I have to try and survive. The only hope I have is to get a really small amount of supplies and run as fast as I can. Somehow out survive the others, which isn't possible. It's probably just delaying the inevitable, but I can't help but try!

I'm the last Assange now. I owe it to my family to try to survive…

* * *

><p><strong>Topovska Hrana's POV – District 6<strong>

**35**

In all of my hypothetical situations, I have thought a couple of ice arenas. None were as detailed as the one that I'm being put into. For starters, _I never imagined that one would be this cold!_ I'm shivering in my extremely bulky outfit, giving me a bad feeling for the rest of the Games. Secondly, there seems to be various types of landscapes and fields that we will be required to fight in. It's hard to judge the arena's size from my position, but I can estimate and I estimate it to be the largest arena the Games has ever possessed! The question is, however, if this is a bad thing or not…

**34**

I choose to make it a good thing. The giant arena will provide me and my alliance the perfect hiding spots against Careers. All we need to do is get away from the Cornucopia and start running towards the mountains. I'm sure we could find protection up there and prevent our deaths!

Granted, the gamemakers would probably get bored and try to get us to move. Still, it would keep us alive for the beginning. That's what is truly important: just staying alive! It's hard to adequately predict what is going to happen after that, so it's important to work with what you can predict and keep ourselves alive for as long as we can!

**33**

Our first priority as an alliance is to meet up with each other away from the cornucopia, preferably with enough supplies that we could sustain ourselves if we didn't get sponsors. Thankfully, I'm standing next to Ellie, who happens to be standing next to Nelson. Sort of funny the two were put next to each other. Still, it's great they are next to each other. That makes our job that much easier. All we have to do is meet up with Iago and Akira somewhere and we will be fine…hopefully…

**32**

My eyes soon turn to my left, where the girl from 12, Roshan, is standing. I look past her and I see the boy from 2, Cannon. He's glaring at me. He doesn't like me and he has made it very clear, especially last night, that he wants me dead. I still don't know what I did to offend him so much, but there's nothing I can do to correct it. The only thing that matters is that he wants me dead and I have to make sure he does not get to kill me. Luckily he is far enough away from me that he shouldn't have time to get a weapon and charge at me. I should be long gone by the time he has one.

**31**

Poklon told me about this moment. He's stared speaking a whole lot more the second I was reaped, not hesitating to give me any information he can. I've listened to every word, making sure I don't forget it. All of his advice is extremely sound and I intend on practicing it all to make sure I come back alive. And beyond just that, it is really the first I've heard him speak since his Games. That means almost more to me than the advice he gives me…

…_I'm coming home Poklon. You don't have to worry about me. I'll make sure I'm not just another dead tribute from District 6…_

* * *

><p><strong>Akira "Aki" Himura's POV – District 7<strong>

**30**

Just half a minute left. I'm pretty sure everybody is scared by that thought. Everyone has to be! In the end, all of the training we've had before or during the preparation doesn't matter. The gamemakers can decide who wins and who loses. It's all about luck, and right now, I don't feel too lucky.

**29**

One example of my bad luck is my placement around the cornucopia. I don't see any of my alliance members. Topovska, Nelson, Ellie, and Iago have to be on the other side it seems. That means I'm alone, standing next to the boys from 5 and 12. I'm also near a couple of the Careers, such as the girl from 1 and the boy from 3, who could both probably easily kill me. That's not good placement if you ask me…

At the same time, though, perhaps everyone else can get together. That would make it easier to meet up with them if I get out of this hellhole. We just all need to get together and survive! It's probably naïve to assume that we all can survive the bloodbath, but it's comforting to think that.

**28**

Now that the moment is coming up, I can feel the question of killing come into my head. Will I be able to kill in order to win the Games? I'm pretty certain I could fight in self-defense if my life or someone else's life I cared about was at risk. But in other cases? Will I be able to fight? I don't think I would be able to…

I have to get in the right mind set for this…

**27**

_"You never will kid. You're weak. You're gonna die."_ The imaginative voice of mother taunts me.

_No, mother! No!_ I refuse to listen to this voice. I refuse to listen to her. I have grown as a person since the days my mother abused me and walked over me. I'm stronger now, physically and mentally. It is here, whether I come out alive or not, that I prove myself to my dead mother!

**26**

I breathe in and out, readying myself to sprint when the time comes. I ignore the cold of the arena by using tricks father taught me on focus and concentration. This will the biggest test of his training. He spent his final years teaching me Omei-Wushu Kung Fu. I am its final practitioner, placed in a fight to the death with twenty-three other children. He intended on having me pass down this martial arts style to my children in the future, and I intend to do just that! I refuse to let my father's martial arts die in an arena with me. We will both live!

I can feel a slight smirk developing. I will come home. I have a fighting style I need to preserve. I have two brothers I need to return to take care of. Too much is lying on my survival. I'm tired of disappointing others. I will succeed, making my way out of the arena and back home to my brothers…

* * *

><p><strong>Faith Cale's POV – District 8<strong>

**25**

I keep trying to ignore the cold of the arena, focusing on something else. It's getting harder and harder to concentrate on anything else. This is worse than any winter I've felt up in District 8! How the hell can the gamemakers design something this cold? I seriously hope I can get used to this as the Games continue…I'm going to need to if I hope to survive. Either that, or I'm going to need one of those torches…

**24**

In terms of immediate survival, though, I should be fine. I was placed in between the boys from District 7 and 12. They both received a nine and ten in training! They should be both bigger targets than me and I shouldn't have to worry about dying in the bloodbath with them by my side!

…unless if the girl from 1 is still pissed about last night…

**23**

She's actually in my line of sight. The girl from 1 is kind of hard to see from my position, but she is visible. I wonder if she's seen me. She's going to want me dead probably. Something about 'disrespecting those better than you.' Complete bull if you ask me! Still, she's going to be gunning for me rather early…

_Well, if she does, I'll give her a show. I won't be going down without a fight. I have to get back home to my father, and I'll make sure that she doesn't get in my way!_

**22**

While the girl from 1 is in my line of sight, my partners are harder to find. I can barely see Corbin from my position. He's as far as I can in his direction, right next to the girl from 5. Kai, on the other hand, is someone I can't see. He's probably on the other side of the cornucopia. Just great. Hopefully we can all meet up. If we can't, then we are in trouble…

…_then again, what could really be more trouble than being put into an arena and being told to fight to the death?_

**21**

Twenty-three of us are dying. Twenty-three lives are ended in a few days and their families will suffer for it. I have to make sure I'm not in that list. I had so many plans in life that I need to accomplish! I had yet to meet a boy that I could fall in love with and marry! I always intended on meeting him, marrying him, and having children for my father, who had always wanted more kids in the house. Above any of the plans in my life, though, I need to live for my father. He had to suffer when mother died in childbirth. Now, when my life is on the line, he's probably suffering again.

…_I won't let you down Dad!_

* * *

><p><strong>Iago Latimer's POV – District 9<strong>

**20**

As if by luck, Topovska, Ellie, and Nelson were placed next to each other. That makes all of us surviving the bloodbath much easier, provided they don't screw it up somehow. My position isn't bad either, as I'm situated between the girls from District 3 and 5. Although I don't trust the girl from 5 that much (something is up with her), I feel as if I won't be targeted early. I'll blend in, get weapons, and get out. I'm set pretty well…

…now if only Aki was placed better.

**19**

It's hard to see her from where I am, but I can see she is on the other side of the group. And since there are no Careers present on my side except for the girl from 2, I can only assume the other five are on her side. Not good at all. I might have to go hurry to her side and help her if I need to…

**18**

I feel as if we got lucky with the arena. Sure the arena is cold, but it is also extremely large. A giant arena like this is perfect for hiding and stealth! I've been staring up at the mountains for awhile, hoping that my alliance members get the hint and realize that I want to flee to the mountains once the bloodbath starts. There, we will have protection. From there, we continue to live off each other and keep us alive.

…_until about final ten or twelve. Somewhere around there. At that point, it would be wise to slit their throats…_

**17**

The arena isn't that much different than real life. I live a pretty dangerous life in District 9, making deals in the black market and sometimes getting money as a thief. The arena is no different than that. Your life is always at risk, but it's never outright in danger. If you are ever in danger of death, it's your fault. You slipped up and got caught by a higher authority. If you have some sense, if you are intelligent enough, and if you have a plan or sorts, you can avoid getting caught and live. Simple as that. I believe I have some sense and I am intelligent enough. The only question is if my plans are good enough to get me out of here alive…

**16**

In the end, though, I need to return home. My father is counting on me to return. He's old and needs to be taken care of. If I were to die, I don't know how much longer he would last, even if my friends continue to assist him. Therefore, I need to return. I won't be like my mother. _I won't leave my family and leave them to die!_

* * *

><p><strong>Ellie Moon's POV – District 10<strong>

**15**

I've never been this cold in my life. Every once in a while, I would have to work out in the fields of District 10 late at night. I remember thinking how cold it was and how miserable I would be. That can't compare to this feeling. This is pure hell! I wonder how many people are going to die in the cold by frostbite instead of actually dying by one of the other tributes. _The gamemakers were crueler than usual with this arena…_

**14**

I distract myself from the cold by turning to my side. Topovska and Nelson were placed right next to me! Nelson was placed to the right of me…

Did the gamemakers do that on purpose? Did they see the interviews last night and thought it would be interesting to see if we really do like each other? Whatever they were thinking, I have to thank them for this I guess. Nelson has been making me feel better throughout this whole training process and I can't help but feel a little comfort with having him around me…

**13**

When the Games start, I'm going to have to get with him. Topovska looks as if he's going to sprint to the weapons first then meet up with us. I'm going to get myself weapons as well, but I need to meet up with Nelson first. That's top priority to me right now! For some reason, I find myself more concerned for his safety than mine…I need to make sure that he's alright when the Games start! I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to him…

**12**

_Get a grip Ellie! You can't be thinking this way!_ I have to win the Games! I have a little sister who I need to return to!

Two opposing thoughts pull at me. I need to return home to Emily! At the same time, I need to make sure Nelson doesn't die. I can't accomplish both. I have to decide: to try and return home to my little sister or try and help the boy I love return home…

…_wait…I…I love him?_

**11**

_Nelson, why couldn't you have been from District 10? Or why couldn't I have been from District 11 perhaps?_ I have no doubt, we would have met and fallen for each other in normal District life. Out here, I don't know. Only one of us can live…and a part of me wants it to be you instead of me…

In the end, I don't know what I'll go with. Do I want to go home to my family? Or have Nelson go home to his family? I have no clue. I only have two things that I hope for. That, no matter what I decide to do, that I can be a good example to Emily when she gets older. The other thing, is that I make the right decision…whatever it is…

* * *

><p><strong>Jamor "Jay" Lovet's POV – District 11<strong>

**10**

_Ten more seconds_. That's how much longer I have to live. I can already imagine it now; the boy from 10 standing next to me will charge at me and snap my neck. I've seen him use his physical strength before: it wouldn't be hard to kill me. Or would it be the Careers who get me first? None of them are too close to me, but they could always target me. Get to me quickly. I'll still end up dead either way…

The only thing I can hope for is a painless death…that's all I want…

**9**

Thankfully, though, I have Brock to my to my left. He is staring at me and giving me some gesture with his hands. He's trying to cheer me up; to get me calm. It works a little, but I still can't help but feel nervous. I know he's working with me, but what if our plans fail? Things like that can happen. Would that be the end of me? Would I pull him down with me too? I can't let that happen! Not when he stands a good chance in the Games…

**8**

I remember watching the Games when Berry was put in. She died the second the countdown ended. A boy from District 2 charged at her and killed her the second the Games began. She…was so much stronger than me. I can't help but think that I'll be the same way. I always wanted to be like Berry; stronger, more open, more trusting, more talkative. This is the only way I wish that I wouldn't be like her…

**7**

It would be a good idea to just sprint from the cornucopia. Run into the mountains behind me and hide. Still, if I am working with Brock, I need to help him. I need to get something with him to make sure I'm not holding him back! I'll probably just do what he does, picking up whatever I can. After that…just hope. Hope that the inevitable doesn't happen…

**6**

_I'm sorry Mother. I'm sorry Father. I'm sorry Ule. I'm…going to die…_

* * *

><p><strong>Damien Todd's POV – District 12<strong>

**5**

These are honestly the longest sixty seconds of my life! The cold isn't making them any shorter either. The gamemakers are completely screwing with us already. I just wish they could get a better sense of humor. I appreciate jokes, but not the kinds like this!

**4**

That's how many seconds we have left. Just four more. Then this thing starts and the killing begins. It's almost enough to make me sick! I've never been good around death. Even just thinking about death, especially my own death, can make me a little queasy. Quite ironic that I would get put into the Games of death…

I fight back my urges to throw up. Could that set off the mines around me? I have no clue. That would make me an early death…

**3**

_No!_ Death won't overtake me! It's an overrated and cruel joke! I have a better sense of humor than that! No, I have my plans for the Games. The second I can design one of my poisons, I've won. I can do it! In the end, I'll be laughing last, not the gamemakers. Not death. Me!

…_right? I do stand a chance right? Or is that just me convincing myself I do?  
><em>

**2**

I need to find some way to survive the early stages of the Games. Get out of the bloodbath and live. Luckily, I'm next to the girl from 8, who is a much bigger target than me. Sure I have the better training score, but she had a much better interview and was overall way more memorable. She'll distract the Careers as I run into the cornucopia, get my basic supplies, and sprint off into the forest to my left. I'll hide there and wait to develop my poisons. After that, I'll just wait it out until the time comes to unleash them. _And then win...I hope..._

**1**

_Just watch me Jay! I won't die! For you!_ My older brother had to watch both our parents die and still worked to care for me. He's seen too much death. I'm going to make sure he doesn't see one more person he cares for die!

**0**

The sound of a gong goes off and is heard throughout the arena.

…then all hell breaks loose.

* * *

><p><strong>LET THE 49th ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES BEGIN!<strong>

**24 Tributes Remaining**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Well here it is everybody. This was the final chapter before the arena. The next chapter is the bloodbath. The arena is finally here, the part you've been waiting for the most. Thank you so much for reading everybody! I hope you are all as excited as I am about what I have planned!

Heads up, I have a poll up on my profile page. Vote in it! Or you can answer it in a review. But who do you guys think will be dying in the bloodbath? Not want to die: think will die! You will all find out if your predictions are correct in the next chapter…

I'm a little sad to have to kill off the tributes. They are all so fun to work with and amazing charactrs! Thank you again to everyone who sent me in tributes! I hope you have been enjoying their depictions! I'm sorry to anyone who has to watch their character die, but know that it worked best with the plans for the story. Sorry :(

I'm rambling too much now! :P Anyway, thanks everyone for reading! Please review and give me any criticism you can to help make me a better writer :) I'll see you guys next time, with the bloodbath! Until then :)


	15. Snow Stained with Blood

**Damien Todd's POV – District 12**

…_then all hell breaks loose. _

My legs had a mind of their own: they started running before I realized what was going on. I headed in the direction of the first bag in sight. The snow slowed me down and made it hard to move. I couldn't run as fast as I wanted to…no, I couldn't move as fast as I needed to! _Mother Nature, you bitch._

After what felt like forever, I reached a bag and then hurried over to the nearest torch. Once I grabbed it, I finally took a few seconds to look at where the other tributes were.

The girl from District 9 and the boy from District 5 were already running away, no weapons in hand. The girl from 6 was also starting to run away. A couple of the tributes were starting to meet up, such as the boy from 11 and the girl from 10. The boy from 6 was leading the push towards the weapons, followed closely behind by the careers. And once they get weapons…

_It's too dangerous to go for any._

Sure I may need a weapon to win, but I need a life in order to use one! And there are many people in the center of the cornucopia to risk getting one now…

With that realization, I hurried over in the direction of the forest to the west. I had to hurry and get away! Before anyone dies. _Before I die!_ Dying in the bloodbath after getting a ten would be too ironic for me to find even the least bit funny! That thought pushed my legs to new limits and I was able to start running away from the cornucopia and towards safety.

* * *

><p><strong>Topovska Hrana's POV – District 6<strong>

I've never ran that fast in my life. I didn't know it was possible! But the second I saw that bow and arrow set, I knew I would have to go fast. I hurried to the center of the cornucopia to grab the weapon. My allies will get the supplies and torches, but we need a weapon to survive in order to fight off the careers and to hunt! If I can't get my hands on it, then I will die!

I was the first person to the weapons. I grabbed the bow and arrows and started away. Now that I had it, I needed to get away before one of the careers could grab something and come after me.

Before I could get out of the cornucopia, though, I felt something large make contact with my back. Something heavy! The pain knocked me over to the snowy ground, causing me to almost drop my bow.

_W-What? Who? What was that?_

I pushed myself up quickly only get knocked down by the same powerful blow to the back. This time, though, the blow burned me in addition to knocking me over on to my stomach.

_W-What's going on?_

This time, I couldn't get up. A foot stomped hard on my back before I could. I coughed up blood into the snow. I then felt myself getting kicked. A leg pushed me up. I was now lying on my injured back and facing my assailant: the boy from District 2, Cannon. He was standing over me, gripping one of the torches in his hand.

_He's using a torch as a weapon? _Damn. Dammit! He uses blunt force as a weapon. Of course one of those torches would be a weapon to him! I should have seen that coming.

"Well, look what we got here? Nerd boy's on the ground! Weren't you supposed to be some big shot? Some surprise contender to win the Games this year?" Cannon asked with a taunting grin on his face. He slammed his foot onto my stomach. I choked on more blood, which caused him to start laughing. "Heh, I guess not. It was all a lie. You were never anything special!"

He then slammed the unlit end of the torch into my stomach, causing me to choke more. _I…I…I've never felt this much pain before!_

_T-This…This is hell!_

I tried to curse him and push back, but I couldn't. He was stronger than me. He felt my attempts to push back and he started to laugh harder.

"It's useless. You can't do anything. You even got your stupid bow and you can't fight back! Pathetic!" Cannon taunted, his laughter turning more hysterical. "You know, I realize why I hated you so much! There was a lot of talk about you behind the scenes. Your brother's a victor, you're smart, you're good with a bow: there were people here thinking you were going to pull an upset and win. But look at you! It's the bloodbath and you're going to die! You were no threat! You were nothing. You were nothing more than cannon fodder!"

_N-No! I stood a chance! I still stand a chance! _With newfound strength, I tried to push back again. I'm able to get his foot off me and knock him back. I tried to get up, but he was able to compose himself too fast. He swings the torch at my face. I fall back to the ground and scream. My face was on fire!

_I'm burning!_

"Not gonna happen!" He growled, inching back to me.

"G-Go to hell." I gather the last bit of strength in me to curse him.

_I'm sorry Poklon…_

Cannon swung the torch right at my face again. All I could feel was my face burning and a sharp pain in my head…and then nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>Nelson Sieg's POV – District 11<strong>

"No! Topovska!" Ellie sobbed. I wanted to cry with her.

That's not how these Games were supposed to start. Not even a minute into them and our alliance lost a member…

Topovska…

_We got to get out of here._ Ellie and I went in to grab a few weapons. I grabbed a machete, she picked up a hand axe that was next to it, and we both had backpacks. We just needed to get out!

"Come on Ellie!" I said to her as I grabbed her hand and started running. She followed behind, sobbing to herself. I wish I could do something to help her…but I can't. We don't have the time. We need to get out quick!

The two of us head in the direction of the mountain. Iago and Aki can meet us up there when they get out. They're…they're good. They'll get out alive. But they'll trust us to live as well! My priority is to get Ellie and myself to safety…

Our pace to the mountain increased when we saw a spear fly in our direction. It barely missed us. I took a second to look behind me and I saw the girl from District 1, Audrina, chasing us. She was holding another spear.

"Damn! I missed!" She cursed loudly.

"That's…" Ellie mumbled nervously.

_Shit! _Isn't she pissed off at Ellie cause of the interviews?

We needed to shake her and get away. Now!

Ellie and I continued to run. She continued to follow, a little slower. The snow may have been slowing us down, but it was slowing her down more!

Eventually she got tired of chasing and chucked another spear at us. This one made contact with my leg. I fell to the ground in pain, the spear sticking out of it.

"NELSON!" Ellie screamed.

"Finally!" Audrina shouted in relief.

The spear wasn't too deep, so I pulled it out and forced myself up. _D-Damn, this'll be hard to walk on! _I shrugged off that thought for now and turned back. The girl from 1 had finally caught up to us. She also had retrieved the first spear she had thrown and was holding it tightly in her hands.

I didn't even have time to rect. She charged the second I saw her and impaled me with her spear, this time in my stomach. I screamed from the pain as I fell to the ground

_I…_

"G-Get away from him!" Ellie yelled. She raised her axe and charged at Audrina.

The career blocked her attack and shoved her out of the way. She groaned as she fell down hard to the ground.

"Y-You bitch!" I hissed. She…She hurt her! She frickin hurt Ellie!

Audrina responded with a stupid, cocky grin. I tried to get up from the ground, to wipe that damn grin from her face, but I couldn't. My body was resisting…I couldn't move!

I was at her mercy…

She pulled the spear out from my stomach, causing me to grit my teeth from the pain. She then held the spear at my chest.

…_dammit._

…_Ellie…please, don't die…_

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the finishing blow. It…never came.

I opened my eyes again. Ellie had gotten up and attacked her. She had swung her axe at Audrina's side. The career was forced to use her spear to block the attack.

"Psh! Want to die first? Fine! I wanted you dead anyway!" She said.

_N-No. Ellie, run!_

Ellie doesn't. She swung the axe again at the career. Audrina dodged this one easily and impaled Ellie with her spear straight through the chest.

_No! No!_ "ELLIE!"

She gasped in pain. Blood was pouring out fast.

"N-Nelson…live…p-please…I lo-" Ellie whispered before her eyes closed forever.

She's dead…she's really dead…

I turned my head towards Audrina. She…she looked like she was about to laugh as she pulled the spear out of her body. You…you…

"I'LL KILL YOU!" I growled at her.

Audrina finally started to laugh as she walked closer to me. I…I NEEDED to get up and kill her. I needed to avenge her! But I couldn't. My body…my useless, broken body…

I braced myself, once again for her to finish me off. Once again, it didn't come. A knife flew by fast. Too fast for her to react. It hit her in the arm, causing her to wince in pain and nearly drop her spear.

"Wh-What the hell?" She hissed, looking around for the assailant.

Another knife came flying by. This time, she avoided it. I struggled to turn my head in the direction they were coming in…

Iago and Aki were running in. Iago had a handful of throwing knives in his hands while Aki was holding a torch. Both were carrying bags on their shoulders.

"Hmph! This doesn't look too good." Audrina grumbled, more to herself. "Guess I have to leave for now. You got lucky eleven. You won't be next time!"

With that, she left. She probably didn't like the idea of taking on more tributes all at once…

…Ellie…

"Are you okay Nelson?" Aki asked as she rushed over to me.

_No…no…_

The other living members of the alliance picked me up and carried me off. We headed towards the mountain. They were concerned with getting me out of here safely.

…_Ellie…_

* * *

><p><strong>Inara Abusi's POV – District 2<strong>

The second the gong rang and the Games started, I felt possessed. Something had taken over my body and it started to move faster than my mind. My legs ran to the cornucopia and my hands grabbed in axe. My eyes then searched for the nearest tribute.

It didn't take long for them to find one: the little girl from District 6. She was running away in the background, a bag on her shoulders.

Years of living in District 2, years of watching the Hunger Games, years of listening to my father telling me to volunteer, years of training…all of it had taken over my mind.

My body pushed through the snow towards her. It didn't take long: she wasn't that far ahead and the snow was really slowing her down.

I reached her quickly and my hands pushed her down to the ground. My body then got on top of her and my hands raised my axe, ready to cut the girl's head off. My eyes took one final look at the girl. Her head was pressed into the snow, but I could hear her crying…

At that point, I no longer saw the girl from 6. My mind had replaced her with another little girl crying: my little sister, Serenity.

_Serenity…_

This little trick my mind pulled on me finally helped it catch up to my body. I no longer felt possessed. I looked down on the ground and saw the girl from 6 with my own eyes…

…_what the fuck am I doing?_ I…was about to kill her without even a second thought: just on instinct only…

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Sermina!"

I turned my head and saw the red-headed girl from District 3. She had no weapons on her: only a bag and a torch. She had shouted probably on reflex, seeing that her ally was about to die…that I was about to kill her…

Father would want me to…but I never wanted this. I never wanted anything to do with these damn Games!

…I need to kill to get home. I need to get home to take of my little sister. But I can't kill someone who, for even a moment, reminded me of my sister!

I got up from my position, freeing the little girl, Sermina. She got up quickly and stared at me. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but they were also filled with confusion.

_Why is she just standing around staring at me? Someone will get you!_

"Move dammit! Unless you want to die, get out of here!" I hissed at her.

My words sparked something in her head. She rushed over to the girl from District 3 and the two ran away towards the forest to the west. I caught Sermina giving me looks though as she continued to run away.

I almost killed her without a single thought…

I feel relieved that I could myself: that I stopped my body. But the being that I stopped, the metaphorical District 2 tribute within me…she's pissed. She's shouting that only one tribute can win and that I can't afford to spare anyone. She's shouting at me that mercy will kill me…and I know that could be true…

* * *

><p><strong>Aqua West's POV – District 4<strong>

The first thing I did after collecting a set of throwing knives was look around for targets. I saw Audrina had chased after the girl from 10 and the boy from 11. Cannon had just killed the boy from 6 and was now getting more weapons. Benedict was doing the same thing: collecting weapons. Celsius was going after the boy from 7 and Inara went after the girl from 6. And Kai…Kai had run off with the tributes from 8…

…_Kai? You aren't working with us…_

…_no_. I didn't see anything. I respected him and he respected me. I'll let him get away for now. The other careers will realize he left soon anyway: I'll let him have a head start before they come for him.

My eyes turned from his retreating figure and focused on a tribute running away: the little girl from 5. Viz I think her name was? She had no bag: she was only carrying a torch in one hand and a few knives in the other.

_I'm in the Hunger Games. I know what I have to do._

I followed the little girl, readying my knives. She's fast, I'll give her that. She's already approaching the forest that was to the east. I made sure to follow though, trying to line up the perfect shot: a shot that would kill her instantly.

It didn't take long before I had it: the perfect shot. I tossed one of my knives at the back of her head. _She can't dodge it!_

As I thought, Viz doesn't dodge. Instead, she used one of the knives in her hand to deflect my knife.

…_what?_

Viz was now looking at me. Her eyes were not the scared, innocent eyes that I saw on her before during training. No…these were the eyes of a cold, merciless hunter.

She then charged at me.

I immediately started throwing more of my knives. All of them should have hit her! But no, she blocked them all. Hell, some of my knives were missing completely! H-How is this happening?

_What's going on?_

Viz was able to get up to me. She jumped onto me, knocking me to the ground and causing me to drop the rest of my knives. I tried to get up and reach for them, but she stopped me. Viz slammed a knife straight into my arm, cutting through layers of skin and sticking into the ground.

"AHH!" I screamed.

_G-God!_

Viz wasn't finished. She then used another knife and stabbed my other knife and stabbed my other arm. I screamed again, this time louder. I tried to push back, but I couldn't get up. It…It hurt! She…She pinned me to the ground!

_T-This…what the hell is this…_

"For a trained killer, you made a few mistakes. Two major ones exactly." Viz commended. Her voice sent a shiver through my back. It was colder than this damned weather! "The first was that you got sloppy. After I blocked your first knife, you were shocked. You let that shock take over. After that, you started throwing your knives with no grace. You were just throwing them frantically. The girl from eleven or even my own district partner could have thrown better than that!"

Viz picked up one of the knives I had dropped and placed it against my neck. "Your second mistake was much more fatal, though. You underestimated me. You saw me as a little twelve year old girl with no chance in the Games. You saw a girl that earned a one. You saw a girl crying to Caesar in her interviews. I doubt you saw any trace of deception." She brought the tip of the knife into my neck a little. I winced in pain, gritting my teeth. This caused her to smirk. "Yup, quite the fatal mistake indeed."

_W-Who the hell is this? This is no little girl! This…_

_This is a monster! Not even the other careers act like this!_

Nothing's going right! Nothing at all! My mother, Beck, the rest of District 4, myself…no one expected this!

"Well, all mistakes come with a price." Viz spoke again, the cold edge of her voice replaced with a more bored tone.

It was the last thing I heard before I felt steel enter my throat.

* * *

><p><strong>Celsius Potens's POV – District 1<strong>

The top priority of the careers should be to eliminate all threats outside of our alliance. That's why after I grabbed a dagger and a sword from the cornucopia, I began to search for the tribute I thought would be the biggest problem in the long run: the boy from District 7.

It doesn't take long to find him: he grabbed a spear from the cornucopia and is about to leave. I also note that the girl District 11 is right behind him, scared out of her mind.

_Targets found!_

I put the dagger in my coat's pocket, gripped my sword, and rushed at them. The little girl saw me first and whimpered immediately. The boy from 7, however, turned around and blocks my sword. He then pushes me back, putting distance me and them.

_He's good._ I smirked. _Good. This'll be fun!_

"Jay, run!" The boy ordered the girl as he prepared to strike at me.

"B-But, Brock…" The girl, Jay, mumbled.

I swung my sword at him, stopping whatever he would have said back to her. He blocked me again and counterattacked this time. My blade was able to stop his spear from impaling me barely. _Damn, he's even better than I thought! That's why he has to die now!_

We continued our duel, constantly blocking the other while trying to land a good hit. I was on defense more than I ever thought I would have to be: blocking and evading his strikes to avoid damage. My adrenaline was pumping to a whole new level than I had ever felt before! This is what the Games felt like? _This is great!_

_I have to kill this guy now! I have to!_ I couldn't let this go adrenaline go to waste! No, I needed to find an opening. Then I had to kill him!

The little girl from 11, Jay, was standing like an idiot a few feet away, watching. It was like she was trying to decide whether to run away or if she should try to help her friend. Not like she actually could though! But still…

_There's my opening!_

I backed up, evading his spear again and putting distance between us. I then pull out the dagger from my pocket and chucked it at the little girl. He couldn't block it and she saw it too late. It made direct contact with her chest.

She let out a shrill, deafening scream. She then fell to the ground, the dagger still stuck deep in her chest. I had just missed her heart it seems…

"JAY!" Brock shouted, turning for a second to check on her.

I used that second to raise my sword and stab at him. He realized what was going on too late and couldn't really dodge or block. I landed a solid hit on side. He closed his eyes in pain, trying to contain his own scream.

_Scream for me, won't you Brock?_

I pulled my sword and watched him stagger backwards in pain. I then prepared to deliver another cut, this time aimed for his heart…

…my strike was interrupted, though, as a knife came flying towards me in my peripheral vision. I dodged it before it could hit me in my head.

The girl from District 12 ran up to us, clutching another knife in her left hand.

"Brock! Jay!" She screamed at the injured tributes.

"Roshan…go…get Jay out of here…" Brock said quietly, trying to compose himself from the pain.

"Brock, you need help!" The girl from 12 shouted back.

"SHE NEEDS HELP! She's hurt!" He shouted. He then raised his spear again. "Please…help her…please…"

The two exchanged a look. The 12 girl finally nodded solemnly before picking up the boy of Jay and running away with her, leaving Brock alone with me.

"How noble of you." I mumbled sarcastically.

"What do you know about nobility?" He yelled. "She's a little girl!"

"We're all in the Games, you know. One lives, everyone else dies! For you to live, she'd have to die!" I countered.

"You're sick." He spat out, pointing his spear at me. His stance wasn't nearly as refined nor as defensive as it previously was. I landed a really good hit on him it seems. The pain was affecting him badly.

"Maybe I am, but you know what else I am?" I asked, raising my sword and pointing it at him. "Alive!"

He's about to charge. Before he can, though, a tomahawk came flying from the side, away from our battle. Brock had no time to react; no chance of dodging. The axe's blade made direct contact with his neck, severing it from his head. Both his body and his head landed on the ground and drenched the snow in blood.

_What the…_

"Well, that was pretty cool! But I still prefer my swords."

I turned my head and saw Benedict approaching me. He had two swords attached to the sides of his pants. He also had that grin on his face that I absolutely despise!

"You!" I growled. Did he just…

"Hmm?" He looked over at me, faking innocence. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to kill him?"

_You…you…_

"Word of advice sexy: stop talking to the other tributes when fighting them. You give them enough time to fight back. Or give someone like me the opportunity to kill them!" He informed me with a wink as he picked up the tomahawk.

_My…My adrenaline…the feeling…MY KILL!_

"Just letting you know, the other tributes have fled the cornucopia. It's time we head out as well." He informed me.

_I WILL KILL YOU DISRTRICT THREE! I WILL KILL YOU!_

* * *

><p><strong>Roshan Alicia Davis's POV – District 12<strong>

Jay was breathing hard. She was bleeding so much…I needed to get her away! I needed to find some place where I could treat her! I don't know what I can do, but there has to be something! Anything to stop the bleeding…anything to keep her alive…

_Brock…_

He was a true hero. He stayed back so we could escape: so I could take care of her. He…his sacrifice can't go to waste!

I continued to run. Jay's breathing was fueling my legs. The harder it was, the faster I'd go. I…I just need to do something dammit!

"R-Roshan…"

I gasped, nearly stopping my run. Jay's voice sounded so weak. She was already quiet but now…she sounded less than a whisper.

"I…"

"Don't speak Jay! Save your energy!" I requested her. It must hurt to speak! She shouldn't struggle.

"I'm…gonna die."

"Jay! Don't talk like that!" I screamed. _Please! Please don't say that now!_

"I…I'm sorry…" She continued. I could hear her crying in addition to her breathing.

"Jay!" My screaming became more frantic. "I…I can get help! I'll help you!"

"R-Roshan…stop…w-we know it was going t-to happen…" Her voice was getting weaker! No!

"It's not! IT'S NOT!"

"B-Brock died…trying…I-I don't want you to die too…p-please…live…"

Using whatever strength she had left, Jay pushed herself out of my hands and fell to the ground. I stopped running and picked her body up again. My eyes widened.

_J-Jay…she's…she's not breathing._ I brought her chest up to my ears. _Her heart isn't beating…_

I dropped her body again, this time in shock.

It feels like an eternity passed before I started to run again. Tears fell down my face.

I…I made the decision to have allies seconds before the Games started. And now…both my allies were dead…and I couldn't do anything to help them…

* * *

><p><strong>Adam Assange's POV – District 5<strong>

I…I can't die. _I just can't!_

The only thing I grabbed at the cornucopia was a bag. No weapons and not even a torch. I didn't have time! I…I just had to leave. I knew they'd kill me if I stayed for too long. _I just knew it!_ So I ran. I ran as fast as I could through the piles of snow. I used strength I didn't even know I had to keep running until my legs wouldn't let me run anymore.

By the time I stopped, I can't see a single tribute coming my way. I…I think I did good.

My hands moved to the bag and I started to check my supplies. My face turned as white as the snow when I saw them. All I had were pieces of wood: some small, some large, some sharp, and some dull. All of this could be useful to use as firewood…but I didn't get a torch. All of this is useless to me! I have no weapon, no supplies, no fire…I'm going to freeze! It doesn't even matter if a career comes for me: I'm going to die. I am the last Assange and I'm going to die…

_Monty…mother…you both died trying to save me! Why do I need to be saved? Why am I so useless?_

I sat in the snow and cry. I don't for how long I cry. I eventually stopped though at the sound of loud footsteps.

"Finally! I found ya!"

My eyes darted upward and stared blankly at my soon-to-be-killer: the boy from District 10.

"B-Big Bob…" I manage to stutter. He's not smart, but he's big! He's tough! And the torch in his looks more like a weapon…

_Oh God I'm going to die!_

"Dis a game. We need ta kill ta win. Den I kill ya first!" He shouted as he stepped forward.

"W-Why me?" I whimper, more to myself then to him. I take out a piece of wood from my bag in the shape of a stake and hold it up in self-defense. It's…It's pretty sharp. Maybe I can use it…

The large man came forward, ignoring my question. He removed the distance between us and then grabbed me by my legs. He held me upward and dangled me from his hands like I was a toy. I now felt like throwing up in addition to crying…

"You so little!" He laughed to himself. He then held out his torch close to me. "Now ya gonna burn! Fire nice, but for you, it not be nice!"

_N-No…no…I…I can't die yet…_

…_wait! _Big Bob was holding me by my legs: not by my hands. I can use them! And I had the wood in my hand…

_I…have to live!_

Before he brings the torch to me, I swung myself from my position in his direction towards his body. I then stabbed the stake into his throat. The large man screamed in pain. He dropped me and fell to the ground, dropping his torch. My stake didn't go deep into the skin to kill him.

I get up and stare at the giant on the ground. He…he wants me dead. He'll chase me when he gets up. He'll kill me!

Kill…

I rush over to his body. The stake is still there, sticking out of the skin by his throat. I then push it in deeper. Big Bob tried to scream in more pain, but he couldn't. Eventually, the stake got deep enough and he stopped trying. The piece of wood and my hands are both covered in his blood.

_He would have killed me if I didn't…_

_I killed him…_

_Kill…_

…

…_I'm alive._

I got up from his body, grabbed my bad and his torch, and ran off.

* * *

><p><strong>Lily Walden's POV – District 9<strong>

I knew there would be blood at the cornucopia. I knew that people would die. That was the reason I sprinted as fast as I could. I grabbed a bag and torch, yes, but I left immediately after. Did not want to be around there any longer than I needed to.

By the time I stopped running, I was near the foot of the snow-covered mountain. I knew could ease up just a little bit. Nobody else should have made it this far yet…right?

The mountain was intimidating! Every inch of it was covered in snow: more snow than the cornucopia. It was also tall: tall enough that I couldn't see the top! I could see a few holes scattered across the mountainside. Maybe there's a cave system there?

…_that'd be a good place to hide._

I was about to make my ascent up the mountain when a sound pierced my ear. That evil sound: the sound of cannon fire.

Even if I zoned out the actual Hunger Games while at home, I couldn't stop my ears from hearing the cannons. It blasted nonchalantly at random intervals to let everyone that some kid _just died!_

I heard that evil sound each year twenty-three times. And now I heard it go off…followed by another cannon…and then another…

It went off six times.

Six people have already died.

I fought off the urge to throw up and began my climb up the mountain.

_It's really here…the Games are really here…_

* * *

><p><strong>18 Tributes Remaining<strong>

**24****th****: Topovska Hrana (District 6 Male): **Beaten to death with a torch by **Cannon Estate**

**23****rd****: Ellie Moon (District 10 Female): **Impaled through the chest with a spear by **Audrina Prescott**

**22****nd****: Aqua West (District 4 Female): **Throat was slit with a knife by **Viz Candela**

**21****st****: Baroque "Brock" Role (District 7 Male): **Head chopped off by a tomahawk thrown by **Benedict Letat**

**20****th****: Jamor "Jay" Lovet (District 11 Female) : **Stabbed in the chest by **Celsius Potens** and died from blood loss

**19****th****: Robert "Big Bob" Zorn (District 10 Male): **Throat was slit with a wooden stake by **Adam Assange**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Um…

I know it's been over a year since my last update. I'm so sorry! :( I've been trying to update for a long time, but things have gotten in the way. Writer's block was the primary agent…and after that, a lack of interest in the Hunger Games took over.

Things have changed though! My interest in the series has returned (to a whole new level as well), and with it, my inspiration to write! New plans for the series have come to my mind and I got a lot of things I want to show you all :) I'm hoping you all enjoy everything!

Next update will be much sooner! I've already started working on it. Thank you all for the support I've received so far! All your reviews and feedback means so much to me and inspires me to continue. I'll see you later with the next update! Until then :)


End file.
